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Barks And Recreation

TRIBUNE PHOTO CANDACE C. MUNDY

"Benjamin", left, a 2-year-old black labrador retriever, and "Bo" a german shephard and american bulldog mix, play frisbee at the Carolyn Meeker Park Lutz Community Dog Park and Nature Trail.

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B.C. MANION The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

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LUTZ Twenty-four-year-old Bryce Levy has a spot where he likes to hang out with his buddy Bo.

They generally go there two or three times a week to get together with friends.

Bo, a German shepherd-American bulldog mix, likes to spend his time catching Frisbees, chasing balls and running around with other dogs.

Levy enjoys playing with Bo and hanging out with other dog lovers.

They're among the regulars at Carolyn Meeker Dog Park, which opened in November at 102 First Court N.W. It is the newest county dog park, joining two others - Logan Gate and West Park - in northwest Hillsborough.

One recent Friday, Levy brought Bo and a puppy named Emmy.

It was Emmy's first time at the park.

Levy wanted to bring Emmy - who belongs to his friend Leslie Tillis - to acquaint the puppy with the park.

Tillis took in the Labrador mix after her boss found the puppy on the side of a road, Levy said.

A lot of the dogs that come to the park have been adopted or rescued, he said.

The park gives the dogs a chance to socialize, which Levy thinks is important.

"If you don't bring a dog around tons of different kinds of people and dogs, then you end up with hostile dogs," Levy said.

Levy said he enjoys using the park, and is impressed by how well it is kept up.

"They take real good care of it. There's a new hose to fill up the water. People bring toys out here all of the time and just leave them here.

"Everyone picks up after their own dogs. It's always clean. You don't have to worry about where you're walking.'

Although the park is designed to give dogs a place to run and have fun, it's also a great place for dog lovers to make new friends and share information, Levy said.

"You meet people here all of the time. Everyone gets to know everyone and their dogs. It's a little community."

They exchange all sorts of information, he said.

Signs and posters at the park advertise local groomers and pet sitters. Some posters seek help to find lost pets. One poster solicits a good home for a dog that its owner can no longer keep.

Dogs that congregate at Carolyn Meeker Dog Park are well-behaved, Levy said.

"I've been here for eight, nine months. I've never seen any serious problem with any dogs.

"If there's a problem, it's usually over in seconds. Usually the dogs work it out for themselves," he said.

The Lutz dog park is one of Hillsborough County's four dog parks. The others are at Logan Gate, 7374 Monterey Blvd. in Citrus Park; West Park, 6402 Occident St. in Town 'N Country; and Mango Recreation Center, 11717 Clay Pit Road.

Each of the dog parks is about 5 acres, with a 6-foot galvanized chain-link fence with double gated entries, and separate areas for large and small dogs.

Carolyn McGee, the county's dog park specialist, regularly visits the four dog parks to restock the plastic bags that people use to clean up after their dogs and to pick up litter. She also mows the grass in the dog park at West Park.

The dog parks are popular places, McGee said, especially the one at West Park, which opened in 2002.

"Mango is also very popular, but it's been around a long time, and it's the only one out there in the south," she said.

"Lutz Carolyn Meeker Dog Park is used a lot. There are a lot of dogs on Saturday and Sunday, and usually after hours, when people get off work," she said.

Of the four county dog parks, Logan Gate has the lowest attendance, McGee said.

"It might be because there isn't a lot of shade," she said.

McGee, herself a dog lover, has three dogs - two miniature schnauzers and a cock-a-poo.

"Dogs develop little friendships with other dogs," McGee said. "Believe it or not, dogs set up their own little cliques with each other.

"My little cock-a-poo, as soon as I hit the gate at West Park, two big German shepherds are waiting on her. She runs the fence line with them," McGee said.

Dog parks are not for all dogs, she said.

"If the people know they have a dog that's not dog-friendly or people-friendly, the dog park is not for them.

"We can't allow aggressive dogs in the dog park. If that does happen, we have to address that," she said.

A dog that's hostile toward others can be suspended from dog park privileges, she said. That hasn't happened yet in Lutz and has only happened about a half-dozen times at West Park and Mango, combined.

To find out if your dog is suited for a dog park, she recommends bringing the dog there during off-peak hours.

"Break your dog in. See if the dog park is for your dog," she said.

County regulations require dogs entering the park to be at least 4 months old and to have proof of their rabies vaccination.

They also must be on the leash before entering and before leaving the park and off their leash once they are inside the park's gates.

Although the parks have separate areas for large and small dogs, less-active senior dogs are allowed in with the smaller dogs.

The idea is to provide a safe place for all dogs to play, McGee said.

Allowing the less-active senior dogs into the small dog side gives them a chance to visit the park without being intimidated by larger, more-energetic dogs, she said.

"This came about at West Park. We had dogs that were blind, dogs that had arthritis, and they can't hardly walk. They'd go in the big side and there'd be dogs all over them, trying to play."

The older dogs got scared.

"They'd get under the table and hide. That's not fun for the dog," McGee said.

Dog lover Lynn McAvoy, who was at Carolyn Meeker Dog Park recently with her 13-year-old daughter, Lily, is glad there are fences that separate the large and small dogs.

"My dogs are right at the borderline weight," McAvoy said, referring to her black-and-white border collies, 3-year-old Claire and 1-year-old Minnie.

She likes to be able to use the small side, if there are lots of large dogs on one side, but she's glad she can use the large side if her dogs are the biggest at the park at the time.

"I wouldn't want them to be intimidated by my dogs," said McAvoy, 47.

McAvoy also likes the dog park's spaciousness.

She lives in a subdivision in Citrus Park. "We have a very, very small yard," she said.

Donna Holliday, a retired letter carrier and postal clerk, enjoys bringing her Labrador retrievers, Blue Boy and Dollie Dunnit, to the Lutz dog park a couple of times a week.

She doesn't mind making the 10-mile drive from her Pasco County home because her dogs enjoy the park, she said. "I'm doing it for my dogs," the 65-year-old said.

Dale Bartlett, 54, brings his wire-haired fox terrier, Cola, to the park occasionally.

The dog enjoys roaming around, and visits to the park benefit Bartlett, too.

"It's a good place for him Cola to take me, to give me some exercise."

COUNTY DOG PARK RULES

Dogs must:

•Be leashed when entering and exiting the park but off-leash while in the park.

•Be under voice command at all times

•Have current rabies and vaccination tags

Dog owners must:

•Clean up after their dogs

•Fill any holes dug by their dogs

•Limit themselves to two dogs per visit

•Keep food and rawhides out of park

•Keep children under constant supervision

Source: Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation

DOG PARK ETIQUETTE

Here are some suggestions offered in a county pamphlet on dog parks:

•First-time visitors should visit the park during non-peak hours, to acquaint their dog with the park.

•Quickly move away from the entrance as you enter. This will disperse dogs that come over to greet your dog.

•Ask the owner's permission to approach a dog before befriending it.

•Stay alert. There may be groups of dogs running around the park, and if you're standing in the way, a dog may run into you - causing potential injury to you or the pet.

•Remove dogs that play too rough. If your dog's play makes other dog owners uncomfortable, move to another area of the park, or return another time.

•If your dog inflicts injury, you must give your name and number to the owner before leaving.

•Owners are legally and financially responsible for the dog's behavior and any injuries, damages or loss their dog may cause.

TO LEARN MORE

To learn more about Hillsborough County's dog parks, or other parks and recreation offerings, go to www.hillsboroughcounty.org/ parks

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion @tampatrib.com Keyword: Dog Parks, for sights and sounds from a recent visit to Carolyn Meeker Dog Park.

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