Soon Fido will get to run free at new dog park in Dunedin

The city will turn a portion of the Louis A. Vanech Complex into a special area for dogs.

By LEON M. TUCKER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 22, 2003

DUNEDIN -- A portion of the Louis A. Vanech Complex is going to the dogs.

City commissioners on Thursday approved a plan to turn a 3-acre tract at the complex at 3051 Garrison Road into a dog park. Canines could cavort in the area by the end of April.

The commission started studying the idea after it received a petition from residents calling for a dog park three years ago. The plans follow the openings of similar parks in Clearwater, Largo and Tarpon Springs.

"I've had calls about it over the past several years from people wanting to know if we would have a dog park," said Harry Gross, Dunedin's leisure services director. "So we started trying to identify a site where we could have a park."

Dog parks, where pets are allowed to run free inside a fenced area, are increasingly common nationwide. The parks cater to pets with doggie drinking fountains, poop-scoop bags and other dog-centered amenities.

Clearwater's 4.5-acre dog park at Crest Lake Park, which opened Feb. 1, has been a success, according to city officials.

"We're very happy," Clearwater Parks and Recreation director Kevin Dunbar said of the park at 201 Glenwood Ave. "We selected Crest Lake because it's in the middle of the city, and people have informally used it to walk their dogs around the lake."

Dunedin's dog park will be built behind the softball fields at the Vanech Complex, next door to Garrison Jones Elementary School.

Gross said it will probably cost about $18,000 to build the park. A fence, signs, benches, dog -- and people -- water fountains and pet waste cleanup stations will be installed.

"It's just another recreation opportunity for people who like to do things with their pets," Gross said. "I've been to several of them around the state, and they seem to work well."

-- Leon M. Tucker can be reached at (727) 445-4167 or tucker@sptimes.com .

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