2008 Woodie Awards
Gone with the dogs
St. Cloud area dog parks allow freedom for pooches to run and play
Jennifer Straley
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: Intermission
Man's best friends, or dogs as most people call them, now have a place they can run free and off of a leash at three St. Cloud area parks that have designated Off Leash Pet Exercise Areas.
These three parks are Wilson Park, Jaycee's Park off highway 15 and Whitney Park.
These areas are fenced in and allow dogs to socialize and get some free, unrestricted running time.
"Dog parks have been very successful across the United States, and the feedback has been extremely positive in our case," Scott Zlotnik, assistant parks director for St. Cloud said.
A St. Cloud resident helped anonymously with the start-up costs of these parks.
"There were some capital costs that were covered by a $20,000 donation made by an anonymous St. Cloud resident," Zlotnik said.
These off leash pet exercise areas have rules and regulations. There is a small fee that helps to offset the costs to maintain these areas. These fees come in the form of permits that are $20 for the first dog and $10 for each additional dog for St. Cloud residents and $40 for the first dog and $20 for each additional dog for non-St. Cloud residents.
"Pet licensing fees help also to off-set the costs of maintaining these parks," Zlotnik said.
These off leash areas have a following.
Racey Gasior, St. Cloud resident and owner of Tora, a giant, 8-month old great dane said, "I try and get here every day, and you do see a lot of the same dogs again and again."
"What we've found out is that people who live within two to three blocks of each other now know each other because of these dog parks," Zlotnik said. "It's a bond that these people share and we find that at Wilson and Jaycee's Parks, there is a formal gathering that occurs almost every morning with dogs and dog owners. It's almost like friends meeting for coffee."
The need for these dog parks stems back to ordinances in St. Cloud that say all dogs must be leashed within city parks.
"We formed a task force somewhere in the neighborhood of five years ago. I wasn't a staff member of the parks department at that time, but the last three years I have been working with this task force from then to where we are now, and the feedback has been extremely positive," Zlotnik said.
These three parks are Wilson Park, Jaycee's Park off highway 15 and Whitney Park.
These areas are fenced in and allow dogs to socialize and get some free, unrestricted running time.
"Dog parks have been very successful across the United States, and the feedback has been extremely positive in our case," Scott Zlotnik, assistant parks director for St. Cloud said.
A St. Cloud resident helped anonymously with the start-up costs of these parks.
"There were some capital costs that were covered by a $20,000 donation made by an anonymous St. Cloud resident," Zlotnik said.
These off leash pet exercise areas have rules and regulations. There is a small fee that helps to offset the costs to maintain these areas. These fees come in the form of permits that are $20 for the first dog and $10 for each additional dog for St. Cloud residents and $40 for the first dog and $20 for each additional dog for non-St. Cloud residents.
"Pet licensing fees help also to off-set the costs of maintaining these parks," Zlotnik said.
These off leash areas have a following.
Racey Gasior, St. Cloud resident and owner of Tora, a giant, 8-month old great dane said, "I try and get here every day, and you do see a lot of the same dogs again and again."
"What we've found out is that people who live within two to three blocks of each other now know each other because of these dog parks," Zlotnik said. "It's a bond that these people share and we find that at Wilson and Jaycee's Parks, there is a formal gathering that occurs almost every morning with dogs and dog owners. It's almost like friends meeting for coffee."
The need for these dog parks stems back to ordinances in St. Cloud that say all dogs must be leashed within city parks.
"We formed a task force somewhere in the neighborhood of five years ago. I wasn't a staff member of the parks department at that time, but the last three years I have been working with this task force from then to where we are now, and the feedback has been extremely positive," Zlotnik said.