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| Off leash: Adam Day watches his dog, 'Louie' (far left), mingle with other canines at a dog park in Cambridge, Mass. Nicole Hill |
Plenty of tails are wagging at dog parks
More than 700 parks now dot the American landscape. Debates over leash laws and proper use of open spaces just come with the territory.
By Amy Brittain | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitorfrom the July 11, 2007 edition
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Doggie drinking fountains, pooper scoopers, and tennis balls are just a few of the canine friendly amenities at off-leash dog recreational areas across the United States.
These "bark parks" allow man's best friend to roam freely, creating stomping grounds for dogs as urbanization cuts into grassy play areas and leash laws limit dog freedoms. The decision to build a dog park often pits pro-leash and anti-leash citizens against one another in a face-off about pet owners' rights. But dog lovers insist that a pack recreational setting is essential for an emotionally balanced and friendly Fido.
The US now has more than 700 off-leash recreational areas, says Claudia Kawczynska, editor of Bark magazine. And the demand for play areas is great: The Humane Society of the United States estimates that Americans own about 73 million dogs.
The dog park's origin is "fuzzy," Ms. Kawczynska says, but it is generally traced to the opening of the Ohlone Dog Park in Berkeley, Calif., in 1979. Kawczynska says efforts to implement leash laws in the 1970s had one major flaw: The rule often applied to parks. During the 1980s, she says, many city officials realized dogs needed areas to roam freely.
Efforts to start dog parks usually involve a dedicated group of local residents committed to raising funds and working with city officials to establish proper regulations. As a Berkeley city commissioner in the 1990s, Kawczynska witnessed a six-year battle over plans for a dog park. Opponents argued about dog waste (one angry resident even flagged and photographed all dog waste in the park), increased traffic, and noise. But the park has functioned near-seamlessly since it opened, she says. "It wasn't pleasant, but we finally won," she says in a phone interview.
Residents of Blue Springs, Mo., began the dog park process in 2005 with the founding of Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido (RUFF). Dena McLean, co-chair of RUFF, says the city provided the land, fencing, and parking lot while RUFF members organized two major fundraisers for extra "treats," such as a dog drinking fountain and a wash-down area to clean dirty dogs after playing.
Ms. McLean says she's excited to bring her border collies, Rocky and Jessie, to the park, which is expected to open this month once the new grass is ready for hyper hounds. The nearest dog park at the moment is a 30-minute drive, she says. "It's just like kids at recess," McLean says by phone. "When they come home after being at the dog park, they're tired. They're not going to be as inclined to chew on the furniture and all that. It just makes them better pets." Most dog parks in the United States are built on public property but partially funded with private donations. In the case of Blue Springs Dog Park, McLean says all liability rests with the city.
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