Playgrounds for pups: when doggie bags and fenced-in dirt just aren't enough

Parks & Recreation, July, 2004 by Maya Avrasin

Typical items for a dog park may include doggie dishes and plastic baggies, but some communities take their obsession with their animals to new levels, creating veritable theme parks. These parks may not be the norm, but there's no question that they have canine fever.

Named after the President's deceased dog, Millie Bush Dog Park opened last December to hoards of hounds and their owners ready to roam the 15-acre facility.

Its popularity was immediate, causing people to drive so miles to visit the park, which has two, fenced-in areas to separate the small dogs from the larger ones. "It's as much an investment for the people as the dogs," says John DeBessonet, park planner for Harris County, which encompasses the city of Houston in Texas.

The park cost $225,000, and is encompassed by the 7,800-acre George Bush Park. While the standard water receptacles and pooper scoopers are plentiful at the no-charge, no-restrictions Millie Bush Dog Park, there are other amenities that seem to attract an average of 300 dogs on the weekends.

There are three ponds, with special wood decking to allow easier access to the water. There are vibrantly painted fake fire hydrants scattered randomly throughout the park and its ponds, walking trails and two doggie showers. And this water park is not finished expanding. The master plan calls for an increase in the acreage, grandstands for events where Texans can showcase their puppies, an agility course, fly ball competitions (relay races for clogs), search and rescue training and extra shading. "This will be the ultimate dog experience," DeBessonet says.

Even though Houston's population is 8.5 million, this is the first dog park in the area. Harris County is thinking of building more conventional dog parks for its urban areas, but Millie Bush will always be considered the "showdog" of all the parks. "Who knows where it will go from here?" DeBessonet says.

Millie Bush Park may be new for Texas, but there are other, older dog parks that are just as extreme. Take Bark Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Turning 4 years old this year, Bark Park is a two-acre, fenced-in grassy park hidden inside the 93-acre Snyder Park. Because the community knew the park was going to attract hundreds of dogs every year, it constructed the park to withstand its inhabitants. "We knew it was going to be stepping it up a notch," says Ronnie Lakatos, Snyder Park manager.

Her park and recreation department decided to irrigate the area so it can endure the constant tread of paws. It also helped develop one of the first recyclable, plastic agility courses for public useage. The equipment can be washed off between uses, as opposed to its wood counterparts that tend to absorb urine and are harder to clean. And, even though there are two bays in the dog park to separate the larger dogs from the smaller dogs, each area has its own agility course.

Agility courses can be as simple as a hurdle to jump over and a the swing to jump through, but Bark Park's course is a model used for other dog tracks nationwide. Its course comprises of several differently shaped hurdles to jump through--including cylinders, squares and vinyl circles, ramps, podiums, specially designed hills and jumping blocks.

Bark Park is also periodically sprayed with pesticide to help ease the dogs' comfort and ensure no transmittal of fleas or ticks. And when the dogs get too overheated from their exercise, there are two cooling station sandboxes in the shape of turtles and two doggie fountains specially designed for paws. Now, when a dog is thirsty, he can walk over to the fountain, place his paw on the ground lever and water comes out of the spout. A five-acre lake is across the street from the park, enabling the pooches to swim for exercise or if they just want to casually paddle near the shore.

The luxury of the park does come with costs, about a $1 admission for a swim, $1.50-$2 for humans, and there is an annual pass ranging from $50 for dogs to $100 for families.

And, with the help of sponsors such as Purina, which donated $20,000 toward the $400,000 park, there are weekly educational clinics that range from fly ball competition to grooming and training sessions.

Other programming includes all annual dog walk to raise money for children's cancer research, holiday pet picture day, and an annual celebration in August for dogs and their owners. Pet owners can even rent a portion of the park for their clogs' birthdays.

When the doggy playground was being constructed, Lakatos' team paid attention to the aesthetics of the park. With the help of one of Bark Park's palmers, the Broward County Airport, a large concrete wall was built partly to absorb ally excess noise from spilling over to neighboring homes. But the wall was soon transformed into a colorful mural, with the help of an artist and volunteers, who spent one day painting creatures of all types across the six-foot wall.

Lakatos says Bark Park helps make dogs more pleasant and obedient, because they have a place to romp without fear of being scolded. "It's to make your dog a better and happier animal," Lakatos says.