Fayetteville Plans New Dog Park

Hey Everyone!

Great news for the dog community of NWA, Fayetteville is planning a new dog park! Though there's no date yet for when it might be opening, it's still an exciting prospect. The more dog parks the better for all dogs and dog lovers. If you'd like to read the article from the Northwest Arkansas Times in it's original format, you can click here.

Park to give dog owners chance to remove leashes

BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times
Thursday, June 18, 2009

A new dog park in Fayetteville will soon give local pets more than 2 acres to explore, leash free.

Located at 1595 N. Dartmouth Ave., Bryce Davis Park will become the city's third and largest dog park yet.

"I've always been a big proponent of dog parks in general, so I'm pretty excited," Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said. "I'm a big pet lover myself, and I think it's a progressive move for the city."

Jordan said Procter & Gamble recently presented the city with a $30,000 grant to help develop the 2.75-acre dog park.

Located within the Walnut Grove subdivision, off Salem Road, Davis Park was the city's first park dedicated from the Park Land Ordinance in 1988. The 9.2-acre park was named after the owner and developer, Bryce Davis.

"It's certainly going to be an asset as far as safety," said Carmen Nelson, director for the Humane Society of the Ozarks. "There are some pet owners who open their doors to let their dog run around for a minute, but that's how a lot of dogs end up getting hit by cars. This will be a safe environment for people with pets."

The dog park will be divided into areas for large dogs and small dogs. It will include a pavilion with picnic tables for dog owners and dog waste pickup supplies. Rules for using the park will be posted and will require users to remove dog waste from the area.

"There are so many people who live in condos, apartments, rent homes and houses who don't have fenced yards," Nelson said. "This new dog park will be a great place for pets to exercise, play and socialize with other dogs. It will also be another place where people with pets can get together and form a common bond. It's a wonderful thing for Fayetteville."

Current off-leash areas in Fayetteville are located at the Animal Services facility, 1640 S. Armstrong, and Lake Wilson.

According to Fayetteville Animal Services Superinten- dent Jill Hatfield, city staff eventually hopes to develop dog parks throughout Fayetteville to allow more dog owners to safely allow their pets to roam freely.

"We have a dog park at the shelter, but it's in south Fayetteville," she said. "This new dog park will be centrally located for folks living in the north. We're really trying to get dogs parks in every quadrant of the city so people can walk, rather than have to drive across town."

In addition to providing a place for pets to exercise, Hatfield said the new site will enrich animals' quality of life by providing opportunities to socialize with other pets and people.

"We have a huge animal loving population, but sometimes I think we forget that dogs and cats are social beings," she said. "Letting them off the leash every now and then is important for their quality of life."

Jordan said development of the park will begin as soon as possible, though he couldn't provide a specific timeline.

Calls made to Fayetteville parks director Connie Edmonston weren't returned Wednesday.

For more information about Bryce Davis Park or to access a map, visit the city's Web site at www.accessfayetteville.org.