Starting your own Dog Park

 

Many people have come to our site in search of developing their own dog park, or have in fact visited Dr. Paul’s Pet Care Center Dog Park and want to have a similar park in their area. 

 Here are a few tips in starting your own dog park.

 

  1. Where can it be and whose land will it be?  Generally to get community support, you must place a dog park accessible to the masses, but in the area that the masses do not cross into a normal residential area. Smaller neighborhood parks may seem to fit this bill, but often you will get opposition from the bordering neighbors that wish to keep traffic flow around their area down, and not have to worry about dog park issues such as fecal excrement cleanup or unruly dogs. For this reason, I suggest looking for a park under development that is more of a regional or centralized park and will not have the immediate neighborhood residential issue as a problem. Have private parties developed a private “health club membership” type of dog park? Yes, in fact a fine lady in Gainesville, Florida has modeled her dog park, but in a private support manner, and I understand that it is working well.

  2. Who will insure it?  One of the biggest and first issues to resolve is who has the liability for the dog park. It is best to make it a public or city park, assuring that the city or municipality is taking care of all liability insurance. What can happen you ask?  A small child can get bitten in the face, someone can slip and fall over some excrement left by an irresponsible pet owner, and the list can go on and on. Unfortunately we live in a “sue” type of environment, and you must protect your best intentions.

  3. How do I present my idea and to who?  It is best to arrange a meeting by getting to know the decision makers in your town. It may be the mayor, city commissioners or council, or the parks and recreation director. Whoever it is, make sure you know if you may be talking to someone that is a dog lover. In any case, you should present the case of the need for the dog park, not from the dog’s perspective, but from the need of humans to get out to socialize and truly recreate in a city park. You should have a formal letter presenting the problem, a potential solution, and a constituency in which to vocalize your agenda.

  4. You and what army?  Voted officials like to know that this idea is not a one person agenda. Make appointments with a group of people accompanied by a petition with legitimate residents and voters of the area signing their name, address, and preferably phone numbers. This list than can act as a base for future mail merge or pool to gain more “hard core” dedicated volunteers. Many times you will find it may take you or a few select tried and true to foster and carry out the “Great Dog Park Idea.”

  5. Go in with information:  For a stranger to the idea of a dog park, it may even sound absurd. That was an initial reaction that I got and I didn’t have a model to demonstrate the idea. Research the idea on the internet, i.e.  search under “dog parks, dog runs, pet parks, dog agility equipment, etc.   Get a videotape of a park in working action to show. A picture is worth a thousand words. Compile the information so that you can discuss general ideas, resolve issues that may come up (fecal excrement removal, how big, what type of fencing, what amenities would be nice, maintenance requirements of the park, etc.), and have a plan for implementation. The more you can get the city to pony up to the better off you will be. Remember talk is cheap. Actions do speak louder than words. That goes for municipalities and their promises, as well as potential volunteers who say they are ready, willing, and able to help out. An article in Bark Magazine out of California by Claudia Kawczynska is excellent starting point.  

 Research information can be also found through these following websites:

www.offleash.com

www.arlingtondogs.org

www.nycdogs.com

www.dog-play.com/dogpark.html

 

  1. Form a group and delegate responsibilities…

    1. Construction team

    2. Marketing team

    3. Information and Research team
    4. Fund raising
    5. Governmental Liaisons

 

HOPEFULLY THIS IS GIVING YOU SOME INSIGHT ON HOW TO GET STARTED. PLEASE RESEARCH THE WEB. IF YOU ARE IN OUR AREA COME OUT TO LOOK AT OUR DOG PARK IN ACTION. I WOULD ATTEMPT TO GIVE YOU ADVICE, IF YOU SO DESIRE. IF THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU IN ANY WAY AND SAVED YOU TIME AND EXPENSE IN PROCEEDING WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP BY DONATING SOMETHING TO OUR DOG PARK. SIMPLY MAKE A CHECK PAYABLE TO THE CITY OF CORAL SPRINGS, AND SEND IT TO THE ATTENTION OF DR. PAUL’S PET CARE CENTER DOG PARK, 7460 WILES ROAD, CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA 33067. THIS MONEY GOES INTO A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND SO THAT OUR PARK CAN MAINTAIN ITS ESTHETICS AND FUNCTION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND ACT AS A MODEL FOR OTHER DOG PARKS TO DEVELOP SUCH AS YOURS AND OTHERS. THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK

 

Sincerely,

Steven G. Paul, DVM 

Creator and Sponsor of Dr. Paul’s Pet Care Center Dog Park