To the editor:

Call in the Marines! Big thanks to 22 (count ‘em!) Marine volunteers from the Naval Justice School who appeared on Saturday, Sept. 25, to help with the Portsmouth Dog Park’s first Community Fall Clean-up. It was quite a sight to behold, seeing USA’s brightest and best pour out of two vans and jog to their positions in front of me, hands clasped behind their backs, feet planted on the ground, ready for orders. All 5’ 1 of me was both intimated and thrilled.

Portsmouth Dog Park is a beautiful place for dogs to romp and play and loll in the sun, but what makes it special are the wonderful people who care for their dogs and for each other, and the volunteers who ensure the park is safe and tidy and welcoming. We had a big list of chores for our Community Clean-up: weeding along the fences and gates, raking stones and rocks, mulching around the new trees — thank you, Aquidneck Land Trust — painting trim, filling holes and scavenging for chewed-up tennis balls. Yes, dogs will be dogs.

We can always count on our volunteers to help when we need it, but our little band of civilians could never have imagined getting reinforcements from the Marines! Together, they accomplished in two hours what would have taken two days or more to finish. We are grateful to all the volunteers who showed up ready to work on Saturday. We couldn’t have done it without them.

When I asked their supervisor how she got so many Marines to volunteer, she said, “I just asked them if they liked puppies and dogs!” Let’s face it, who can resist that?

Jane Regan

Chair, Portsmouth Dog Park Committee

Portsmouth