BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A petition to keep Whistlestop Dog Park open in Byron Township has amassed more than 1,800 signatures as of Saturday. It comes after the township board voted to shut down the park earlier this month, an announcement that shocked many residents.
It was devastating news for Byron Township resident Taylor Emert, who rescued her dog Beth back in 2023.
"For us, [it's] the sense of community. It's like a second home for Beth. We come here almost every day, like, we can't even say dog park in our house," Emert said at the park Saturday.
It's a sentiment shared by Byron Township resident Ryleigh Galer. She often takes her deaf pup Echo to Whistlestop.
"This has all the socialization, the sniffs, the running that he could he could want, especially being an Aussie, like he needs that," said Galer.
At a township board meeting on March 10, two residents expressed "concerns" about the dog park, asking for it to be "shut down." Byron Township trustee Jay DeKleine then motioned to shut down the park and in a four to three vote, the board decided to close it on the first day of May.
"We were devastated and shocked, especially that just two voices could shut down an entire park," Emert said.
"My immediate reaction was surprise, like the fact that that there was only two people who just said something like, it's too loud, and that was all it took," said Galer.
Emert, Galer, and others have signed the petition and passed out flyers in an effort to keep the park open. Emert is concerned with the precedence the shutdown of the dog park could set.
"The way we look at it is they went for the dogs first. If the dogs were too loud, which you can hear behind me. It's pretty quiet," Emert said. "The next is the kids activities. You know, baseball, they have an announcer booth that's got to be quite loud. Is that what they're going for next? That's quite a concern for all of us."
The township's next board meeting is scheduled to be at 5:30 p.m. on April 14 at 8085 Byron Center Ave. Patrons at the park plan to attend, hoping to reverse the board's decision.
"It's not going down without a fight," Galer said. "I will be there guns a blazing. That is going to be a very crowded room."
Fox 17 spoke with Byron Township Supervisor Don Tillema on Friday, though he declined an on-camera interview. We also called and messaged Jay DeKleine on Friday and have not heard back from him.
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