Sun, Jan. 09, 2005

Group to back park for pooches

By Amanda Rogers

Special to the Star-Telegram

GRAND PRAIRIE - On Thursday night, more than 30 residents spent several hours organizing Paw Pals of Grand Prairie, a volunteer group determined to open the city's first off-leash area for dogs.

The group got the basics out of the way -- electing officers and finding out what is needed to establish nonprofit status -- then got down to what was really important, arguing about what kind of grass works best with hordes of dogs cavorting on it, even discussing the possibilities of artificial turf.

"They're very enthusiastic," said James Cummings, director of the city's Environmental Services Department. "Anytime you're trying to organize a new group, there's going to be chaos."

The city had hoped that after building its new animal shelter in October 2003, there would be enough money left over for a dog park behind the facility. But after spending $3.5 million on the state-of-the-art Prairie Paws Adoption Center, only about $350,000 remains, Cummings said, which should be enough to build a basic dog park.

A boggy 5-acre tract behind the animal shelter that is not appropriate for any other sort of park is the site the city has in mind for the area where dogs will be allowed to romp and run off-leash, said Jennifer Vuitel, acting animal services manager.

Grand Prairie dog lovers are drooling over the thought.

The group's first meeting Nov. 11 drew about 15 folks, Vuitel said. That number more than doubled when 32 showed up Thursday at the Prairie Paws Adoption Center.

The city sees the Paw Pals as a support group to help raise money for pooch pluses, such as an agility area and high-tech canine watering stations, and to help monitor the park use to make sure dogs follow the rules and poop gets scooped, Vuitel said.

"Dogs need to be socialized," said Deb Koplen, who has a 9-year-old wire-haired fox terrier named Miss Chips and is the newly elected Paw Pals president.

Koplen would like to see the park completed by the end of the summer, she said, but Cummings doesn't think that time frame is doable.

"Realistically, if we're under construction this time next year, that would be great," Cummings said.

Koplen also worries that the city sees the Paw Pals as just a fund-raising group.

"I'm concerned that the city wants our money and nothing else," she said. "I'd like the city to say, 'You design it, and we'll build it.' "

Vuitel is adamant that the city wants the dog-loving group's ideas.

"The city does have staff that designs parks, but we want as much citizen input as possible," Vuitel said.

The Grand Prairie group has some advantages that an Arlington group doesn't, said Bonnie Bowman, president of Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido, or RUFF.

"They're in a much better place than we are," Bowman said. "The city did allocate funds when they built their shelter, and they have a place next to their shelter, so they're in a great position."

RUFF has raised about $25,000 in the past year and a half, Bowman said. The group is hoping to raise another $25,000, then receive $75,000 from a city bond package to build a dog park near the new Arlington animal shelter, which will be built at 900 S.E. Green Oaks Blvd.

"Keep at it," Bowman advised the new group. "We all need a dog park. In fact, we need more than one."

Grand Prairie's master park plan calls for three dog parks, Cummings said. Besides the one near the animal shelter, the Parks and Recreation Department hopes to eventually build off-leash areas by Lynn Creek Park and between Waggoner and Mike Lewis parks.

Fort Worth, Dallas and Plano have dog parks, and several other cities in the Metroplex are planning off-leash areas.

IN THE KNOW

If you go

• The next meeting of the Paw Pals of Grand Prairie will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Prairie Paws Adoption Center, 2222 W. Warrior Trail in Grand Prairie. For more information, call (972) 237-8582 or go online to groups.yahoo.com/group/gpdogpark.