Even though Tut can't grin - the delight on his face is obvious to Susan Schwarten. "To watch him run and play, it's just amazing. The only word you can use is sheer joy," says Ms. Schwarten of Ocean City, Md.

But for Tut, an 8-year-old basenji, and Schwarten's two other dogs, the delight of running in an off-leash area is a rare treat. There's no official off-leash area in Ocean City, and for three years, Schwarten's efforts to start one have been foiled by land deals gone bad. But she and her group, the Woodland Pond Dog Park Association, continue to scout local areas.

Designated off-leash areas - known as dog parks - are a growing trend around the country. Most are fenced-in areas of existing multiuse parks, where owners are able to let their pets roam freely and interact with other dogs, which veterinarians recommend.

Many dog parks are equipped with canine drinking fountains, swim areas, agility equipment, wash-down areas for cleaning muddy paws, waste-bag dispensers, and shelters. They range in size from a half-block to nearly 20 acres, and are often subdivided into large-dog and small-dog areas.

The decision to devote precious open park space to exercise areas for dogs, however, has become a bone of contention for dozens of communities across the country - frequently whipping up emotions to a level not often seen by community parks officials.

Carving out a section of the park for dog owners can occasionally mean reducing space for other park users. In Arlington, Va., animosity between dog owners and nearly 30 parents flared in recent months when the Arlington County Board moved an existing dog park (which was inadvertently located on an historical site) to another area of Fort Ethan Allen Park. The new off-leash area will be adjacent to a community center and near an open area often used by children.

"We were getting opposition right away," says Barbara Favola, chairman of the Arlington County Board. "We are trying to accommodate the reasonable people from each stakeholder group."

Concern that dogs and children will be sharing sidewalk space and park entrances, as well as conflicts over fencing and buffer zones, pushed the parents to organize a group called Parents Advocating Children's Turf (PACT).

"No study was done on how the playground is used or how many kids use it. We were being overlooked," says Alexandra Beall, spokesperson for PACT. "We just were not being heard."

On Dec. 11, Arlington County Board members voted to allow the dog park. But prior to that, Ms. Beall and her group met with the county architect and officials to establish separate entrances for the playground and the canine park.

Contention between dog owners and nearby neighbors isn't restricted to new parks. Ohlone Dog Park in Berkeley, Calif. - opened in 1983 and believed to be the oldest dog park in the US - has patrons and neighbors quarreling over noise, soil erosion, dog feces, parking issues, and dogs that remain unleashed outside the park's perimeter.

After months of disagreements, city officials instituted a six-month trial period, which started in September, that mandates early morning and evening quiet hours, requiring dogs that bark to be removed from the park.

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