Bark in the Park

Ever since the dog park opened near White Rock Lake , the park department’s Caroline Bray had been receiving “overwhelmingly” positive comments. But it was during a drive home one night that she saw the true measure of its success.

“As I was approaching the dog park, I looked over and saw about 15 cars and people with flashlights and dogs running. I thought: This is unbelievable.”

A couple of years ago, it would have been unthinkable. Back then, area residents Melissa Tinning and Andie Comini used Winstead Park as an informal dog park, hoping they wouldn’t be fined for letting their animals run off-leash.

The two women eventually tired of that situation and began researching dog parks around the country. They went to city officials with what they viewed as a nationwide trend — San Francisco has 18 dog parks and Austin has 12, to name just a couple.

It took some time, but a growing number of people started to get behind the idea. A turning point came when some city officials traveled to Austin to visit the dog parks there.

“We saw what had and had not been done,” Bray says, “and learned how to go about establishing a better dog park in Dallas .”

The city decided to donate the land and changed city ordinance to allow dogs to run off-leash. Funding, however, wasn’t available in the city budget, so the organizers had to raise some money — to the tune of $45,000.

After successful fundraisers and the efforts of Eric Nadel, a radio announcer for the Texas Rangers, who raised $25,000 from the Muenster Milling Company, the dog park’s day finally came in June 2001.

Bray says the response has been an education for everyone. Statistics show that with 3,000 visitors a week, the 1.9-acre park is the most used acre in the Dallas Parks System.

 “We didn’t realize how overwhelming the need was for these people living in lofts,” Bray says. “Pets are better behaved and healthier when they are able to run and exercise.”

And the dog park is likely only going to get better. An anonymous source recently donated plants for landscaping, and area businesses like Poor David’s Pub have held fundraisers to generate money for future projects such as nighttime lighting and water access.

For more information on the dog park, visit www.dallasdogparks.com.