Op-ed: I’m a Dog and am Petitioning to Get Rid of the T. Potterfield Bridge

Going to the park used to be one of my greatest joys in life. My humans would let me play Frisbee, take me on hikes, and let me smell all the new smells.

But ever since the new T. Potterfield Bridge was built, my time at the park has been filled with nothing but anxiety.

You see, everyone sees the bridge as this exciting new construction, linking two parks together over the stunning James River. I’ll admit, I too was excited about the bridge when I first learned about it: it meant going to two different parks in one day! All we have to do is walk across a bridge and we’re somewhere completely new! What could possibly be bad about that?

But the first time I set paw on the T. Potterfield Bridge, I could tell something was horribly, horribly wrong. It was not the smooth surface I had imagined it to be, but instead the entire bridge was made out of vicious metal strips, just wide enough to carelessly trap my toenails at any moment. After one step I refused to go any further. Naturally, my humans didn’t understand; they scolded me and eventually forced me across. That day I witnessed dozens of others facing the same fate. Dogs whining, humans coaxing, the malicious bridge sitting smugly.

The park is no longer a source of joy for me, but of fear, angst, and apprehension.

Which is why I’m petitioning to destroy the T. Potterfield Bridge once and for all.

I know I’m not alone in my emotional anxiety. Fellow Richmonders, I beg you to please join me in working to get rid of this horrid death trap of a bridge. Why don’t we just agree to allow the river to divide us like it did before? Why cause myself and other dogs so much emotional trauma during one of our favorite activities?

I know that if we don’t get rid of it completely—and very soon—my humans will continue to drag me across it, day in and day out, as if nothing were wrong.

I simply cannot imagine living the rest of my life in fear of losing my toenails to this bridge any longer.