Friends of Belfast Parks

Belfast's Future Dog Park

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Belfast Dog Park

Dog Jamboree - Feb 2008

To download a copy of the complete dog park proposal
presented to and approved by City Council in the fall of 2007, click here.
 
4/20/08 REVISED SITE PLAN

DOG PARK UPDATE

The dog park subcommittee of Friends of Belfast Parks is working hard to open a dog park at Walsh Field in Belfast during the summer of 2008--hopefully at the end of July. (Please scroll down for further information about the location, etc.).

The money for the fence has been raised. Money is still needed for water, benches, shelters, etc. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Click here to download a form which you can mail to us with your check.
 


Remember your cherished pet with an engraved plaque displayed in a remembrance area at the park.

BELFAST DOG PARK MEMORIAL FUND

Click here to download a form which can be filled out and mailed back to
Friends of Belfast Parks, P.O. Box 947, Belfast, Maine 04915
 
 
Belfast dogs like these need their own place to run and play!
Image: 
 
FOBP members celebrate on the site of the future Belfast dog park.

Early in 2007, at the invitation of the Friends of Belfast Parks, a group of Belfast dog owners gathered to discuss the idea of establishing a dog park. After much discussion, research, visiting many dog parks, and many meetings, the group sent a proposal to the Belfast City Council in September, 2007, to create a dog park at the Walsh Field Recreation area (the intersection of Route One and Route 52), recently donated to the City of Belfast by the Bank of America. You can read the COMPLETE DOG PARK PROPOSAL here.
 




The new dog park 
brochures are out!

Look for them 
around Belfast!
 


In addition to raising the money for the dog park, the Friends of Belfast Parks have committed a minimum of 100 hours towards maintenance of the dog park. The success of this dog park, as with all others that we visited, will depend on a coalition of local dog owners––the people with the most to gain, or lose, by how well the dog park is run. We intend that this dog park will be the finest in Maine. 

If you would like to volunteer your time to help our efforts, please e-mail Diane Braybook here.  Diane is a member of the Friends of Belfast Parks, a member of the dog park subcommittee of the Friends of Belfast Parks, and a dog owner.







For a Summary of the Dog Park Proposal which was approved by the Belfast City Council in September, 2007, please see below:  
Carol Good, president of FOBP, collecting money for the dog park at "Arts in the Park."
 

                         

                         SUMMARY––DOG PARK PROPOSAL



• First and foremost, dog parks are for people. They are places where dog owners and dog lovers can enjoy recreation with their pets.


• Dog parks foster a culture of responsible dog ownership by providing a place where pet owners meet, talk, and reinforce sensible behavior.


• Dogs by their physiology need to run; it’s how they burn off excess energy and develop strength, stamina, and coordination. Many trainers rank exercise as more important than discipline or affection.


• More than 630 dogs live in Belfast, which means that approximately one in ten people around the city owns a dog; currently dog owners have no place in Belfast where they can safely allow their dogs to exercise off leash.


• Many dog owners throughout the city and surrounding area have indicated their support for a secure area where their dogs could run safely, and their interest is endorsed by the growing number of dog-friendly businesses in the community.


• The city of Belfast would bear no liability for activity at a free, public dog park; liability for dog behavior would reside with individual dog owners, as it does currently.


• Friends of Belfast Parks is willing to spearhead a fund-raising effort to build a well-appointed, intelligently designed dog park in Belfast with no cost to city taxpayers; Friends of Belfast Parks will also provide a minimum of 100 volunteer hours annually toward the maintenance of the dog park.


• As of September 2007, the City of Belfast is in the process of acquiring the Walsh Field Recreation Area on Route 52 near the junction with Route 1, which includes a 1.5-acre undeveloped area that appears to be the city’s most suitable site for the establishment of a successful off-leash recreational area, otherwise known as a dog park.


• A well-run dog park could be another bona fide asset for the greater Belfast community — as inviting as other recreational outlets such as tennis courts, hiking trails, and senior college.


• A dog park would be attractive to the increasing number of tourists who travel with their pets—Belfast already has several dog-friendly motels, stores, and galleries. With a dog park, Belfast would appear in state and national travel guides as a dog-friendly town.