From June 11th's Findlay Courier:
Park has lots of tails wagging
By MICHELLE REITER
STAFF WRITER
Karen Watts sat at the center of about 10 dogs, handing out treats to pooches that were trying to be patient.
She was a rarity at the K-9 Field of Dreams Dog Park at Riverbend one recent Sunday.
"I don't have a dog," said Watts, who lives in Massachusetts. "I just have a rabbit named Miss Hoppy."
Miss Hoppy stayed in Massachusetts during Karen and Paul Watts' trip to Findlay's dog park. The Watts traveled here to meet with other pet owners — primarily dog owners — they had met online.
"We meet once in a while (at different locations around the country)," she said of her and thousands of other members of Pet Talk, a bulletin board on the Web site Pet-of-the-Day, which is owned and operated by the Watts.
Riverbend's dog park has become one of the group's most popular meeting places, Watts said.
"This is the best dog park," Watts said, "because of the double gate and the timeout pen (for dogs who need to be separated from other dogs). Also, there are not many dog parks this size."
The K-9 Field of Dreams Dog park has been open for about seven years now and it has between 200 and 300 memberships a year, said Margie Stateler, the visitor services manager of the Hancock Park District.
Memberships to the dog park are $10 for up to three dogs — additional dogs cost $5 each — and to get a pass, dogs must be up to date on their rabies and distemper shots.
The just-about-an-acre of land gives the pups a place to run free in a world confined by leash laws. It also gives dog owners a chance to get to know each other — or at least each other's dogs, said dog park member Pat St. Onge.
"Everyone knows the dogs' names," Onge said. "Not the peoples' names."
St. Onge owns two Huskies — Star and Sherman — dogs that have made friends among other dogs and humans alike at the park.
Justina Jenkins, 27, has two dogs — Brutis, a rat terrier, and Luci, a pug-chihuahua mix (chug). Jenkins lives in an apartment, so she relies on the dog park to provide exercise and socialization for her dogs.
"I come at least five times a week," she said. And she might stay for several hours at a stretch, getting to know all the dogs and people who stop by.
"Sometimes we come twice a day," added Teresa Jenkins, Justina's mother, who doesn't have a dog of her own.
Justina said she likes the space available for the dogs to run — but she also likes to watch her dogs play with other dogs.
Luci, at about six pounds, may be the smallest dog at the park, but she may also have the biggest attitude.
She yaps at dogs 20 times her size and sits primly while her contingent of human admirers fuss over her gray, velvet-like coat and tiny stature.
Some of the bigger dogs find themselves obsessed with Luci; but if they get fresh, the hamster-sized dog will blast them with tiny, intimidating barks until they retreat.
But most dog park members know Luci; so they know what to expect.
It's that kind of familiarity that has spawned a community of sorts at the park. People know dogs' names, behaviors, ages — and sometimes birthdays.
"This has been extremely successful," said Stateler. "People from out of town come to look at our dog park."
The park was once locked, with a combination distributed only to dog park members. Now the gate is open with a warning on the outside that only members are allowed in. Park rangers and Hancock County sheriff's deputies patrol the park daily to make sure everyone there is a member. The fine for being in the park without an active membership is $85.
Other than that, there aren't many restrictions. Dogs can roam without leashes, but owners must pick up any dog poop with bags provided by the park district.
Two picnic tables sit in the park, along with a bench and two trees donated by Pet Talk members in honor of beloved dogs who have passed away.
And at least one breed of dog is not welcome — the pit bull.
"We're not allowed to give membership passes to pit bulls," Stateler said, "according to the dangerous, vicious dog laws in Ohio."
The K-9 Field of Dreams is one of the best parks around, members and visitors say.
St. Onge is moving to Rhode Island, and she said what dog parks exist there are tiny.
Dogs need wide open spaces — it's good for their mental health. And most dog park members believe that dogs' mental health matters.
"Science is just finding out that dogs have a consciousness," Karen Watts said. "But I've always known that."
For more information about Pet Talk, go to http://www.petoftheday.com/.
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