Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007
Lola found herself the belle of the ball...or at least the College Park dog park as she captured the attention of six dogs as she was being taken for a walk by her owner Foley Siwa.
The dogs’ owners, all members of the College Park Dog Park Association (CPDPA), seemed to be as happy to see Siwa as their dogs were to see Lola, a Maltese, who was visiting from Virginia with her owner.
Members say the park, a fenced, grassy area in Acredale Park on Metzerott Road, is a good opportunity for canine and human socialization.
‘‘It’s not just for dogs,” said Stephanie Gorin, of Riverdale Park, as she watched her schnauzers Venus and Zoe scamper across the park.
Owners also share tips on kennels, veterinarians and dog food.
The park opened in 2002, said College Park resident Joe Smith, one of the park’s six founders.
Since the county has a law requiring dogs to be on a leash when they are off their owners’ property, the need for a dog park was obvious, Smith said.
‘‘I don’t have a fenced-in yard or a place for him to run and play and he’s the only dog we have,” College Park resident Ed Wroten said of his daughter’s pug, Cracker, and estimated he comes to the dog park four times a week.
At the same time, Smith and the other founders didn’t know how many people would be interested. They thought the fee might be a turnoff because the county’s other two dog parks, in Bowie and Greenbelt, are free, Smith said.
The frequency with which members visit the College Park dog park varies. Members have to pay $40 to register one dog in their household and $30 for each additional dog.
Park use is restricted to members, who have to live in Prince George’s or Montgomery counties, because the association this way can ensure licensed, vaccinated dogs are in the park.
Registration fees are used for park maintenance and improvements. Currently, the group has 140 members.
A locked gate ensures that only members use the park.
About 20 to 30 members use the park regularly, so they usually recognize nonmembers, said Houkje Ross, membership and publicity chairwoman of the group.
The CPDPA recently installed a doggie water fountain — complete with a lower spigot — and is working on improving its Web site and signs directing visitors to the facility as ways to attract more members, said Ross, a Mount Rainier resident.
College Park is the only dog park on Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) property, said Eileen Nivera, a planning coordinator.
The park didn’t cost anything for the all-volunteer CPDPA to open because the facility is in an M-NCPPC park, Smith said. But the money from the fees goes to insurance, maintaining the Web site, and supplies, he said.
And when it’s time for the dogs to get exercise, it’s as much a treat for the dogs as the humans, Ross said as her weimaraner, Pete, lounged at her feet.
‘‘All I have to say is, dog park, and he jumps up,” she said.
For more information about the park, visit www.cpdogpark.org.
