Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 | 4:17 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION
January 29 - 30, 2005
Numerous dog parks dot the valley, including the following:
In Henderson
Acacia Park Dog Park, 50 Casa Del Fuego St.
Dos Escuelas Park Dog Park 1, Golden View Drive
In Clark County
Desert Breeze Dog Park, 8425 W. Spring Mountain Road
Desert Inn Dog Park, 3570 Vista del Monte
Dog Fancier's Park, 5800 E. Flamingo Road
Molasky Park Dog Run, 1065 E. Twain Road
Shadow Rock Park Dog Park, 2650 Los Feliz St.
Silverado Ranch Park Dog Park, 9855 S. Gillespie St.
Sunset Park Dog Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road
In Las Vegas
All American Park Dog Park, 1551 S. Buffalo Drive
Centennial Hills Park Dog Park, 7101 N. Buffalo Drive
Children's Memorial Park Dog Park, 6601 W. Gowan Road
Hills Park Dog Park, 9100 Hill Point Road
Jaycee Park Dog Park, 2100 E. St. Louis Ave.
Police Memorial Park Dog Park, 3250 Metro Academy Way
Woofter Family Park Dog Park, 1600 Rock Springs Drive
An area homebuilder has broken ground on a dog park in northwest Las Vegas as part of an agreement with the city to maintain a certain amount of open space near development projects.
The new park, located in a flood detention basin near the corner of Alexander Road and Tenaya Way, is slated to open in about six months. At 7.75 acres, it will be the valley's largest dog park, according to the city. It will also be the eighth such facility within city limits.
Built by KB Home, the park will feature three separate runs, one for large dogs, one for smaller animals and a last run for use in case of repairs to the others. It will have trees, benches, walkways and water fountains for two- and four-legged users. Control of the park will revert to the city one year after its completion.
Las Vegas is not alone in its efforts to please dog owners. Across the valley, several dog parks dot the land. Many of them were added to already existing facilities years after the initial parks were established. And as many Las Vegas homeowners convert their lawns to desert landscaping, the public dog runs are proving increasingly popular.
In addition to the dog parks in Las Vegas, seven such parks exist in Clark County's jurisdiction, and two are in Henderson. Currently, North Las Vegas has none. But demand is increasing there, Tony Taylor, North Las Vegas' parks planner, said. They're so popular, North Las Vegas will likely add some in the near future, he added.
"It's a new idea that works," Dorothy Wright, a program coordinator with Clark County's parks department, said.
Dogs can play unencumbered by leashes. And owners can supervise them without worrying they will run away, she said.
Joani Baudais knows firsthand the benefits of a dog park. So, it seems, does her 2-year-old Yorkie-poodle, Lucy. Earlier this month, the pair braved heavy winds at the Children's Memorial Park dog run near the corner of Gowan Road and Torrey Pines Drive.
Baudais, a cocktail waitress and a Las Vegas resident for 28 years, has only rocks in her backyard.
"That's why I try to get her out here as much as I can," Baudais said. "She can't really run, poor little thing, on the rocks."
Joanie Rectenwald, who owns three dogs, also brings her pets to Children's Memorial. "If I don't, they drive me crazy," she said with a smile. "It (the dog park) is a wonderful thing."
Still, a high concentration of dogs in one area is not without drawbacks. The pets, especially big ones, tend to tear up the land where they run. That's why many dog parks have a third fenced-in area to use when another is under repair. Having three zones when only two are needed allows park maintenance workers to rotate the dogs, much like a farmer rotates his crops.
When it rains, the areas tend to get muddy, meaning dogs may need a bath as well as a walk. And then there's also the issue of waste.
Last year, Las Vegas residents made 253 complaints about dog excrement, resulting in the city sending 125 letters informing and warning dog owners that they must clean up after their pets, Lt. Karen Coyne of the city's Department of Detention and Enforcement said. However, these numbers include complaints against dog owners who didn't pick up after their pets at home, too.
Perhaps improving the situation, designated dog parks are typically equipped with numerous facilities such as "Dogi Pots, the clean solution to dog pollution." They're metal boxes filled with plastic bags for picking up and then disposing of dog waste, and they have instructions for doing so pasted prominently to their sides.
According to several habitual park users, many dog owners seem to get the not-so-subtle point. Even beyond the borders of the designated dog parks they're complying with the municipal code requiring picking up after pets.
"There are a lot of people walking dogs, but they clean up after them," Julie Stewart, a manager of a girls' softball team that plays at Desert Bloom Park, said. She knew of no incident in which a player had a run-in with dog waste.
Some soccer players have been just as lucky, their coaches said.
"I always see people picking up after their dogs," Mike Detommaso, president of Rainbow Youth Soccer, said. His players frequent Desert Breeze Park, where there is an area for dogs blocked off and removed from the soccer field.
The evidence that some dog owners are not complying with the code, however, is plentiful. So efforts are underfoot to increase residents' awareness of the codes, Larry Oswald, manager of the county's parks department, said.
At the same time, the county plans to continue developing dog parks. They're popular, and they help the city reduce water usage because they're typically made with rock mulch rather than turf.
"More and more people are moving here and a lot of them don't have kids but they certainly have dogs," Oswald said.
As residents themselves decrease turf in their own backyards, they may turn to public lands to exercise their pets, meaning the number of dog parks is likely to increase.
"We believe dog parks are going to be even more popular in the future," Oswald said.
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