Summary of Dog Park Meeting with Councilman Marks

On Monday, December 5th, Rob Williams, Kathie Kolish and Board member Ruth Roberts attended a meeting Councilman Marks arranged to discuss Dog Parks. It was well-attended with folks from several dog parks: Paw Points at Robert E. Lee, Harford County, Perry Hall and Loch Raven. Others attending included dog trainers and “dog whisperers” and a rep from "Dogs on Wheels". The representatives from Paw Points explained the process of developing their park and discussed the day-to-day operation.

“At the end of the day, wanting and creating a dog park are two extremes. There are several issues that may prevent usfrom having a designated dog park.” said Kathie Kolish. “There are many issues to consider that make the creation of a park a financial and code enforcement dilemma. It should be noted that Paw Points took 11 years to come to fruition and they had a large, committed group of volunteers determined to find a site and raising money to make it happen.”

The Paw Points volunteers suggested that there are two big hurdles to overcome when choosing a dog park location. One, and perhaps most important: The park must have enough open space away from homes and neighbors to be a welcome part of the community. The noise factor, the run off/possible odors from feces, the increased foot and car traffic, possible illegal parkers in the alleys, and wear and tear on the designated area all need to be taken into consideration when choosing the site. Paw Points registered just under 500 dogs in less than month resulting in about 20 to 25 dogs using the park at any one time.

Two: The liability for a dog park. Liability insurance is very expensive under the best circumstances. Dog bites are one of the most expensive claims an insurance company might have to pay out, so premiums are very high. Fund raising to cover this cost is an on-going task.

Three: Volunteers. The yearly membership fees collected would not be sufficient to pay for daily oversight and maintenance at the dog park. This means volunteers would be needed to ensure that rules are obeyed and aggressive dogs controlled. Paw Points is unique in that Robert E. Lee Park rangers take on this role.

At the end of the meeting, all three RFCA members felt that efforts to establish a dog park would need more committed volunteers to meet and discuss possible solutions. The Paw Points volunteers assured us that the park is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t come without a great deal of work on the part of volunteers. Councilman Marks is looking at other possibilities for dog parks in the county, such as Cromwell Valley Park. For now, it appears that there are no locations in Rodgers Forge that satisfy the need for open space.

If there are others in the community who would like to take up this issue and offer viable suggestions for the location, take on the job of fund-raising and working through the process, the Board would welcome your participation. Please come out to the next meeting in January and let us know what you think.