Private dog parks?
So what do you think?
Mount Airy, Maryland, has a new dog park that requires owners to join for the privilege of using the facility.
It will cost $20 a year ($15 for the remainder of '09 because it is a short year). Owners must register their dogs, who then wear special tags. A ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration is planned for Wednesday even though the park has been operating for about a week.
It's not the first "private" dog park. The idea of registering members, in fact, seems to be growing in popularity.
Pet owners must sign a waiver when registering their dog, as well as review the rules for the park, which include no aggressive dogs, picking up after their dogs and not leaving pets unattended.
So here's our question: If you use local dog parks, what do you think about the idea of registering dogs (they get special tags) and having owners pay an annual fee for admittance? Too elitist? Impractical? Too much of a hassle to enforce (it would rely largely on volunteers, I presume)?
Or would this be a good way to better ensure adherence to park rules? (It's also a way to check whether dogs are up to date on vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered.)
Photo by Tom Fedor/The Gazette
HT: ohmidog.com
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Too Cute! That cat must have built in radar to keep from bumping into everything.
Too much of a hassle to enforce. This was attempted in Santa Monica recently and was fought bitterly by "outsiders" who threatened lawsuits since tax dollars were used to create and maintain the park.
I think this would work in a small community, rural location. Note how the link to the full article has one local resident offering to mow the park in exchange for waiving of fees for his two dogs - think we'd find such a volunteer in this ever-expanding metropolis????
After reading the article, I've got to say "Thank God for the Boy Scout organization" upon finding that a lot of labor and future plans are originating from young gentlemen pursuing goals learned within the BSA.
awesome idea...s/b handled like a private club
with every member putting in a few volunteer hours for maintenance etc.