Dog park
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2008-07-17T00:29:23Z
Thedogvote
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/* Design and Landscape features of off-leash dog parks */
{{POV-check|date=December 2007}}
[[Image:dogpark.jpg|thumb|These standard poodles are playing at a dog park. Note the watering hydrant.]]
:''This article is about the exercise area for dogs; there is also a [[Dog Park (film)|Dog Park (movie)]].''
A '''dog park''' is a facility set aside for [[dog]]s and their owners to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment. Parks vary in accoutrements, but a typical dog park is fenced; has separate, double-gated entry and exit points; a pond for swimming; hydrants for watering dogs; and [[Pooper-scooper|tools]] to pick up and dispose of [[Feces|animal waste]]. In [[Australia]], dog parks have water taps rather than hydrants, garden benches and mature trees for shade. Some (e.g. [[Pymble, New South Wales]]) have solar lampposts for after dark use.
==Benefits of off-leash dog parks==
Pet ownership in the United States increased by over 1 million households between 1990 and 1992, up to 54 million, or 58% of all U.S. households. Of the pet-owning households, 38% included dogs. The number of dogs per dog-household was 1.5, totally 53.3 million dogs<ref>"1992 National Pet Owners Study", ''Pet Business'', August 1992</ref>. In 2007 it has risen to 1.7 dogs per dog owning household.
While suburban and rural zones have traditionally been areas containing most of the pet-owning population, the urban environment has been undergoing an increase in pet population since the 1970s.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} This, combined with the fact that over the past 15 years urbanization has been taking over what was formerly considered to be suburban and rural areas, has resulted in a phenomenon called "urbananimalization."{{Fact|date=September 2007}} This, first of all, encompasses the recognition that animals are and will continue to be a "[[quality of life]]" aspect of urban society.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Secondly, it recognizes that development must specifically provide for the inclusion of domestic animals in its growth plans.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
As the dog companion population increases along with development, regulations need to be in place to promote responsible pet ownership, and facilities need to be provided to allow pet owners and their canine companions to exercise and play together.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} The provision of ample quality space for the human/dog companion recreation promotes the physical and mental well being of both dog and human.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
[[Image:Doggie_games.jpg|thumb|Dogs playing "catch"]]
Off-leash dog areas provide a social setting in which people can gather and interact in friendship.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Off-leash dog areas are places where dog owners and nondog owners can delight in the entertaining and interesting interaction of dogs at play. Scientific studies have shown that people somehow find it easier to talk to each other with dogs as the initial focus, breaking down the usual social barriers that make people in our society perceive others as "strangers."{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Research has also shown that companion dogs improve people's health and increase resistance to disease by providing companionship, by giving people something to care for, by providing pleasurable activity, by providing a source of constancy in our changing lives, by stimulating people to exercise, by providing comfort with touch, and being a pleasure to watch<ref>"Pets and People: The Bonds Grow Stronger", ''Pet Business'', February 1990</ref>. The unconditional love of a companion animal is very beneficial.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
The benefits to dogs is also well documented.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} Dogs that are highly socialized and exercised are healthier and happier.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} They make better neighbors because they bark and dig out of their enclosure less often. If they do escape, they are far less likely to be aggressive.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
==Design and Landscape features of off-leash dog parks==
Dog parks vary greatly in design and in management style. Some recommended elements for a good dog park include:
- A minimum area of 8,000 square feet enclosure, though bigger is preferable
- Posted rules - recommend no kids under 10 in the dog park
- A double gated entry to prevent escapes
- A safely fenced perimeter
- Turf is not ideal surfacing for the entire dog park. Consider decomposed granite, gravel, sand, and tougher native grasses and plants. A good idea is to adjoin 2 or 3 smaller irrigated turf lawns along an edge of the dog park to be used for frisbee etc. that can be closed off by maintenance staff in a crop rotation pattern so they won't become a mud pit from overuse.
- Shade for the humans to stand or sit in
- Benches and tables, Plastic lawn chairs (See Valmont Dog Park in Boulder, CO)
- Waste pickup stations with baggies.
- Trash cans on the outside of the perimeter fence that people can toss the poop bags into over the fence (See Stapleton Dog Park in Denver, CO).
- A swim area with pond or pool. Ideally this area is separately fenced to allow owners to decide if they will let their dog get wet.
- Hills, mounds, or follies that dogs can run up and down and play on to wear themselves out (See Earthdogs doggie daycare in Denver, CO).
- A water spiggot wth bowl, or a flushable water bowl system.
- A loop path in the dog park between 1/4 mile in length up to 2 or 3 miles depending on available space so people can also get walking exercise while their dog frolics.
- Paved or gravel area leading up to and around entry gate.
- Gravel or paved 'warning track' around inside of fence perimeter where dogs will naturally wear away any other surfacing (such as turf).
- Trees, with sturdy 4' fencing to protect them from urine etc. (See Community Dog Park in Louisville, CO by Design Concepts firm).
- Coat and leash rack by gate(s).
- In cold, wet, or snowy climates: shelter for people and evening lighting for winter use. Glass bus shelters with benches inside are popular, (or old decommissioned buses/trollies themselves with their doors locked at night. No vagabond could go unnoticed- or undrooled on- for long in a popular dog park, rules posting 2 hour visit limits can also be posted) to provide a shelter from weather from which owners can still supervise their dogs.
- Tennis ball bucket or place to leave balls (See off leash park in Arvada, CO).
-An "ice hockey players bench' with gate for elderly people to hangout in without fear of getting knocked over by rowdy dogs
-A small/shy dog area for these dogs to play peacefully away from the larger, more intimidating dogs
-A small 6 x 8 fenced timeout out/penalty box for overexcited dogs or dogs who need to be contained for any reason (aggression, bleeding, turns out they are in heat, etc.)
== Community Solutions: Instant dog parks:==
Communities that desperately need cheap or free new off leash parks can simply re-purpose an underused Tennis court as a new off leash area. Some Communities have great success using pools, ice rinks, and tennis courts in the off season as makeshift dog parks. It's a cheap, practical, and quick way to solve a problem.
Equestrian facilities, riding rings, warehouses, abandoned lots, tennis and basketball courts with cracked or poor surfacing, all make good off leash areas. Municipalities can offer a zoning variance and/or tax incentive, and liability waiver to anyone with a fenced pasture who is willing to let local dog owners use it. This along with allowing a property owner to install a donation box at the pastures gate provides incentive for a private land owner to help out the community at little cost to citizens and taxpayers.
==Problems with off-leash dog parks==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=September 2007}}
Like all recreation activities, certain [[safeguards]] need to be put in place before an off-leash dog park should be established. The first objective is to ensure that the location of the off-leash park is appropriate. The park should not be placed in environmentally sensitive areas, and it must be free of [[poisonous]] plants and dangerous [[topography]] such as steep cliffs. The second objective is to ensure that the park itself is safe for dogs, people, and wildlife. This generally will require the park to be a safe distance away from traffic or appropriately fenced to mitigate any traffic concerns, and always requires the park to have some sort of fence or barrier to ensure that dogs do not end up in precarious situations. A third objective is to make sure the size of the dog park is appropriate. Generally dog parks that are too big result in opportunities for dogs to learn and demonstrate anti-social, dominant behavior without swift intervention by their guardians.
[[Image:CoronadoDogBeach.jpg|thumb|Dog beach at [[Coronado, California]].]]
Allowing dogs off-leash in the safety of a dog park is an excellent way to socialize dogs. Dogs who are shy or aggressive can learn to interact safely with other dogs if their owners take the time to learn about dog behavior and acclimate them at the dog park.
Modern dog parks usually have separate play spaces for large and small dogs to protect small dogs from rough play with bigger dogs. Separating the big from the small prevents"predatory drift, a situation in which dogs who are not normally predatory enter prey (attack) mode. Even highly socialized dogs can "drift" into a predatory attack mode, particularly when smaller dogs appear injured or yelp during off-leash exercises. When a dog enters a "predatory drift" mode, it attempts to kill the smaller dog that triggers the event. Some adoption agencies such as the [[San Francisco SPCA]] refuse to place dogs into homes with existing dogs if the dogs differ substantially in size (they offer a pamphlet about predatory drift on their website).
Dog owners must watch their dogs carefully and stay within a reasonable distance of their dogs so that they can intervene if the dog acts violently or anti-socially. Some people think a smaller dog park makes it easier for dog owners to protect their dogs because they can see the activity in the whole park. Others favor a larger dog park where there is plenty of room for dogs to play without crowding or "packing up".
Dog owners can find suitable off-leash space in many fenced dog parks and in a few unfenced areas where dogs are permitted off-leash. [[Prospect Park (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]] in Brooklyn is a national model for incorporating off-leash space without fencing, into a large multi-use park.
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://www.dog-play.com/dogpark.html General information about dog parks and starting a new dog park]
*[http://www.dogfriendly.com/ Dogfriendly.com - lists places to take your dog, including dog parks, allows search by location, covers US]
*[http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/dog_library/size_differences.pdf Predatory Drift]
*[http://www.dogparkusa.com/ DogParkUSA.com - An interactive Map of Dog Parks across the United States. Also includes articles and forums for dog lovers. (content is user-supported)]
*[http://www.doggo.com.au/ Doggo.com.au - directory of dog parks Australia wide.]
[[Category:Dogs as pets]]
Canadian Parks
*[http://www.sydneydogpark.com Sydney, Nova Scotia, Off-leash Dog Park]
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