Starting a Dog Park

[carolinaila09]

I am a member of the local rotary and we are wanting to start a MUCH NEEDED dog park. I am one of the main coordinators of the project. After finding the land for it to be donated....we are worried about regulations. I know many of you are dog park regulars and we need to know some basics.

Who and how are regulations enforced on what dogs are allowed in the park? Like the typically 'agressive' dogs like Rottwielers and Pitt bulls...

Is the city responsible for waste pick up? Or do groups volunteer?

How do we know about vaccinations? If we can even regulate this...

Who is responsible if people/their dogs get hurt at the park...legal issues that were brought up by our lawyers in the club?

Any other advice that people may be willing to offer about our starting a dog park would be GREAT! It is not specifically to carins, and I'm sure Paisley will be one of the only ones there, but as dog lovers, we really need to open a place for dogs in the area. Our main concern is saftey of all dogs and owners.

We have discussed having a "small dog" and "big dog" side already..

Thanks so much!!

[Nikki]

at our park...

owners clean up after their dog and we have trash cans and bag dispenser in case some one forgets bags. usually other owners will remind people and they act like they didnt see dog pooping.

though sometimes theres REALLY nice people at the dog park that will go through the park and clean up any poop that they find. But there are park maintenance that mow the law and empty out the trash cans and refill poop bags.

If your dog harms another dog YOU are responsible for paying for any injuries.

at my dog park if a dog is acting aggressively the other owners will ask that owner to leave.

there is no real way to know for sure if a dog is not up to date on shots.

They have a list of rules before you come in the dog park

no dogs in heat

no kids under 10 inside the fence area

no glass containers

no aggressive dogs

no puppies under 4 months old

all dogs must be up to date on shots

you must clean up after your pet

we have 2 sides under 25 lbs and over 25lbs

both sides have benches, agility equipment, doggy water fountains, trees for shade, have double door entrance, and 6ft fence.

a few photos of agility stuff and the entrance

[jimnconnie]

at our park...

there is no real way to know for sure if a dog is not up to date on shots.

Nikki, your dog park looks amazing. Ours is very nice, but doesn't compare with the facilities that are shown in your picturess.

At our park you must fill out an annual application, with which you must provide your dog's immunization records & license, and pay the annual fee. You then receive a card key for access to the park. Failure to provide updated immunization records results in your dog park pass being revoked. Dog's must be accompanied by an adult (18yrs. or older) at all times. Children 5 - 17 may visit with an adult. Children under 5 yrs. are not permitted inside the park. Owners are responsible for their dogs at all times. Dogs are allowed off-leash, but not out of control. There is a small fenced area for dogs 20 lbs. or under.

Jim

[hheldorfer]

Our dog park is one of 3 run by the County Forest Preserve District. You need to purchase a dog park permit ($25/yr if you live in the county, more if you do not) and you receive a lanyard with your name/ID# which should be worn whenever you are at the park. When you complete the application for the permit you need to include proof of vaccinations for your dog or dogs; by signing you also accept responsibility for any damage/injury caused by your dog. All dogs are required to wear their rabies tags. The Forest Preserve Police visit occasionally and check for people without permits and/or dogs without tags. The fine for using the park without a permit is huge - $250, I think.

In addition to the rules already mentioned, sick dogs (whether or not contagious) may not be brought to the park. Also, any dog showing aggressive behavior (not just playing) is supposed to be removed from the park immediately.

The Forest Preserve District maintains the property - mowing, repairing the fence, etc..

Our park doesn't have separate big dog/small dog areas or agility equipment, but it's 7 acres and is landscaped so that there are several large areas screened from each other by trees/shrubs/bridges, essentially forming several individual play areas. There is a water spigot on site and everyone is good about refilling the collection of dog bowls that is usually around.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck!

[Hawkeye]

Our dog park also consist of two fenced in areas, one for dogs under 25 pounds and then the other for larger dogs. We have been there when there is no other small dogs and the people in the larger dog area have told us to join them as long as ours are not aggressive. Our park is policed by the people and the only requirement is to be a town resident and have a park department sticker on the car.

They provide plastic bags for waste and we are responsible to pick up after our dogs.

If there is an aggressive dog in the park, the other owners have to speak up. Owners are responsible for their dogs behavior.

We have to bring our own water and there is always plenty to go around if someone forgot theirs. Their are bowls all around.

We do have a town committee that oversees the dog park and holds fund raisers and has created a website with a forum. If someone does have a problem with an owner and their dog we can report it on the forum for further investigation.

The parks department takes care of the mowing and trash.

We also have a sign before entering the park with all the rules previously mentioned.

Good Luck!

[Nikki]

our park is owned by the city so they are the ones that up keep it. ours is also off leash but they have to be under control. About the shots they don't make you prove whether your dog is up to date or not. Our park is free to get into. I know my vet also has a dog park and you have to show proof that your dog is up to date on shots and it cost a low fee to get in.

Jim

when they put in the doggy wa

[avlsarah]

We have several types of parks in our city. There are 3 complete dog parks and another being built.

The first dog park was operated by the city. Or rather, I should say that it was created by the city but is run by the regulars of the dog park. The city has made it very clear that they are not responsible for the uptake - such as regular mowing, mulching, seeding grass, emptying trash, etc. We have a core group of regulars that plan park clean up days and we comb through and pull out used up toys, pick up all the waste and keep up with the grass. The city has dumped some wood chips in the past and trimmed dangerous trees when necessary. We ended up moving our trash bins outside of the dog-only area and the park workers now pick up the trash.

As far as regulating breeds, that can't really be done. There are no authorities AT the park, and since the park is operated by the city that means that it HAS to be open to all residents of the city. People who are worried about the various breeds that might be in the park, unfortunately, don't use it. As far as regulating vaccinations etc, the location of the park I frequent takes care of this. All dogs in the city are required to be registered through the city; registration is only available when the dog is seen by a vet. We haven't had too many problems of dogs being seriously injured - in the few cases I've seen, the owner has been responsible for the required health care and the owner of the offending dog usually doesn't bring it back. Moreso than dogs injured, we've had several people that have been hurt by running dogs; three that I am aware of. Two have severely injured their knees requiring surgery / therapy and another was knocked to the ground with a concussion. We don't have a small dog / big dog side, but people with smaller dogs tend to stay on one side of the park and their dogs don't seem to wander too far. We have a double gated entry way (although dogs do manage to get out) and we have agility equipment. The park is on about 2 acres of land; half is grass and half is mulched. There are lots of trees. There is a dog fountain inside the park and plastic bag boxes for cleaning up after dogs.

The parks that are outside of city limits / jurisdiction are privately owned / operated and under the regulation of the businesses that own them. At one of the parks, they check each dog's vet records as you bring it in. It is an on-leash park with special off-leash hours.

[carolinaila09]

keep your comments coming! this is all very helpful. we would want the city to run the park pretty much, but we would be jump-starting to project from our club, with the help of local authorities. were lucky we have a vet in the group too! hopefully we will get something going, at least some fundraisers, in early 2010. ill keep everyone posted as we move along...maybe some of you will travel to the area sometime and will be able to use our future park!!

thanks for all the help!! anything you think of that you wish your dog park did would be great too!