Whitewater Bark Park

 

What is a Dog Park?

 

Dog parks are gaining in popularity. Just as being able to play is important to humans, it is important for the dogs as well. A dog park gives the opportunity to socialize and to legally exercise off-leash in a safe area. A dog park also promotes responsibility from the dog owner.

A dog park can be many things, but in many cities across the nation, it is a fenced in area designated specifically for purpose of off-leash socialization and play for dogs. Most dog parks divide their dog park into two areas: the general area, and the small dog area. Whitewater's developing dog park will have three areas, the third area being a place for the less socialized dog who is not accustomed to playing with other dogs outside its immediate household members.

Many communities have come to realize that the dog park also provides the elderly and disabled owners a means to exercise their dogs and make new friends at the same time. Law enforcement finds the dog park to be a tool for the realistic enforcement of dog control laws.

Obviously, not everyone owns a dog, and most often dogs are not permitted in the parks. In many cities, the rule has been "No Dogs Allowed." When there is a park that has permitted leashed dogs, it very quickly becomes known to that community as The Dog Park. The creation of a park specifically as a Dog Park, allows dog owners a place to take their dogs to play without conflicting the use of parks not intended for dogs. A Dog Park is a park that not only permits a dog to be in it, the Dog Park invites a dog to be there, and that is the big difference. It is a place designed for the needs of the dog.

Since dog parks tend to exist within city parks, the dog park safely addresses the issues of conflicting public park usage. Too often a city park flatly states "NO DOGS ALLOWED" - and yet this blanket statement dismisses a large segment of park users. Skateboard parks, baseball diamonds, lawn bowlers, hang gliders and soccer teams are all specific park users, and the dog owners are also a park user group - a group that has been ignored. City Park & Recreation Depts are discovering the Dog parks are the most used park in their park systems. They are used all year round.

Any animal trainer can tell you that a dog who has had sufficient exercise will be a calmer and healthier dog. Exercised dogs make better next door neighbors than under-exercised dogs. Puppies and dogs that get enough exercise through vigorous play are less likely to create a nuisance, bark excessively, destroy property, or learn anti-social behavior.

More subtle, the owners benefit from the dog park. A well exercised dog is a joy to have. An article in Journal of Nutrition and the Elderly (1996), states that taking a dog out to the dog park has been found to stimulate social interaction with other people. The elderly develop new friendships of all ages and once again feel connected to their community. Individuals who are normally shy, discover they can talk about dogs easily, and no matter what the social layer an individual may be in, the dog has shown itself to be the bridge that links all social levels together by opening a channel of communication. Those individuals who have taken their walks in the malls for their exercise, had comments that they prefer to walk in the dog park with their dog during the pleasant days of the year, and they enjoy the company of their dog.

On a broader level, not usually addressed in the benefits of having a dog park, is the "side effect" of responsible pet ownership. It is undeniable that our country has a pet overpopulation problem. There is an estimated 12 million dogs in shelters across the country. 80% of these dogs do not live beyond the age of two years. The American Humane Society, stressed spay/neuter programs, and they will tell you that one of the major reasons a dog is relinquished to a shelter is because the dog has not been trained or sufficiently exercised. The community of the dog park, as it develops, also developed the sense of Responsible Dog Ownership. The spay/neuter programs, education, training and the availability of a dog park, all help to keep a good dog out of the humane society or to be needlessly euthanized.