In 2003 , the first legal dog park in Raleigh opened at the Millbrook Exchange Park. This park is the result of "defacto" dog park users--neighborhood people who regularly exercised their dogs at Millbrook on ball fields and in the horseshoe area--getting organized and working with PUP and the City of Raleigh to build the park. Millbrook volunteers dedicated a great deal of time and labor to get this project off the ground and make Millbrook legal and safe...just look what they have accomplished!
Millbrook is considered quite a success, both in terms of popularity and in terms of demonstrating to dog park skeptics that their initial concerns were misguided: There have been no problems with excessive barking, smells, fighting or instances of attacks on humans. What the Millbrook Dog Park has done is eliminated the problems associated with dogs being exercised on ball fields and other areas of the Millwork Exchange Park.
Just like other public parks, one dog park is certainly not enough to satisfy the needs of all the dog owners in Raleigh. Proof of this fact is evidenced by the large number of "defacto" dog parks around Raleigh, each with it's own characteristics. The basic dog park concept is a fenced area, 3+ acres in size with water for drinking and double gates to prevent dogs from running out while others are entering the park. Millbrook is an example of such a park. But in examining other defacto dog parks in the area, PUP has identified four distinct dog park concepts:
- Neighborhood Dog Parks. Some people want a park close to home, where they can make a quick stop before or after work. They would drop in, let the dog run around, play with other dogs, and essentially exercise itself while owners gather and chat. These "Neighborhood Dog Parks" should be large in number, smaller in size, fenced and lit to allow people to gather there safely in the early evening any time of year.
- Nature Walk Dog Parks. Other owners whose dogs can be trusted not to wander offleash, and are not interested in playing with other dogs in a confined area, enjoy talking walks through the woods or around a lake. The "Nature Walk Dog Park" would be large in size, few in number, largely unfenced and unlit. Schenck Forest is illegally used in this manner--the trails are wooded/shaded, 2-3 miles in length and portions of the trails follow Richland creek which provides an opportunity for swimming.
- Dog Athletic Parks. Dog owners who show their dogs or participate in flyball, frisbee or agility competitions are interested in having sites for training purposes. The "Dog Athletic Park" would be large in size, few in number, fenced and lit. If adequately outfitted, this park could be used to host state, national and international competitions.
- Multipurpose Dog Parks. A single dogpark of sufficient size could incorporate elements of the three parks described above. For example, A Dog Athletic Park could include a Nature Walk around the perimeter. A Nature Walk or Athletic Park could include a smaller fenced area for neighborhood play.
Keeping these types of parks in mind, and considering the locations where "defacto" parks have arisen of their own accord, PUP is presently working on the following sites in the Triangle:
Good News! The Raleigh City Council voted to approve funding for this and the Oakwood site in April 2005!! Originally, the proposed Lake Johnson site was on the west side of Lake Johnson, away from the paved trails on the east side of the lake. Unfortunately, one-quarter acre of this land overlapped with and area leased by the Wake County School Board from the Parks Dept. The Wake County School Board has declined to share this space with us. As a result, the Southwest Raleigh Dog Park is back to square one. Well, maybe square two since we have a Dog Park for the area approved in theory, and the money is in the City budget to build it once we have a location. We continue to look for an acceptable site and welcome any suggestion! Please contact Bill. Back to top.
The Strickland road area will be on property between Leesville Rd. and Creedmoor Rd. The property is a wooded site with a farm type pond that will be very popular with the dogs in summer. This area will probably not be fenced for some time. Back to top.
As a result of PUP member attendance at park planning meetings and strong public support, we were able to get a dog park included on the master plan for the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park. This proposed site would resemble the Millbrook Exchange Dog Park. Unfortunately, funding for this park has not yet been included in the city budget. Back to top.
Great News! The Oakwood Dog Park is ready to open! The Grand Opening Celebration will begin on Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. with a dedication by Mayor Charles Meeker and City Councilor (District C) James West. Afterwards, there will be entertainment, demonstrations, contests, door prizes and more!
The Oakwood Dog Park is located at 910 Brookside Drive, Raleigh. For more information, visit their website at www.oakwooddogpark.com
The Biltmore Hills Dog Park would serve Southeast Raleigh. This site would be wooded with some open area. The site will likely need some trees removed and a fence installed, although the exact location is not determined at this time. Back to top.
Schenck Forest has been a very popular defacto dog park. Owned and maintained by the Department of Forestry at NC State, Schenck is probably used by more dog owners than students. This has created a serious problem for the Dept. of Forestry, as offleash dogs have disrupted classes and other departmental events, jumped up (and knocked down) students and faculty, and killed the cat of a nearby resident, right in front of the child who owned the cat.
Despite PUP efforts to work with the Dept. of Forestry, problems persisted mostly because of the refusal of some dog owners to clean up after their pets, avoid the forest during classes and leash their pets when they disrupt other Forest activities. As a result, the Dept. of Forestry instituted a ban on dog effective June 1 2005.
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Raleigh Responsible Owners of Mannerly Pets consists of a group of Schenck regulars looking to find a similar, legal site to walk their dogs. Foremost on their agenda is the concept of forming a dog park cooperative. Contact Bill for more information. Back to top.
