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Page 30 — Multifamily Properties Quarterly — August 2017
Amenities
S ince 1988, the first year
the American Pet Products
Association conducted its
national pet owners survey,
pet ownership has grown
from 56 percent of U.S. households
to 68 percent, or about 85 million
American families and nearly 90
million dogs. Dogs and their owners
are recognized as a true user group
with needs for recreating outdoors,
hence the increasing popularity of
dog parks.
Dog ownership and the addition
of a dog park have many benefits
to a community and its residents.
A dog is a great companion, who in
the most natural way can reduce
depression, stress or aid in deal-
ing with grief. Dogs help encourage
their owners to get outdoors, which
leads to more physical activity and
socialization – a local dog park can
provide such an opportunity. A
fenced off-leash area helps central-
ize dog activity and promotes bet-
ter cleanliness and waste pick-up
throughout a community. With rec-
ognition of the great value provided
to communities where they have
been added, dog parks have seen
tremendous growth in both the
public and private sectors.
Is your community thinking about
adding a dog park? A popular trend
in established multifamily housing
is to remove infrequently used facil-
ities, like tennis courts or asphalt
basketball courts, and replace them
with fenced off-leash areas. Wheth-
er improving an older site or devel-
oping a new site, here are some tips
that should be considered in your
planning for an effective, popular
and well-maintained dog park.
• Accessibility.
In choosing a site
for a dog park it
is critical to cre-
ate a space that
can be enjoyed by
users of all abili-
ties. Consider how
people will access
the site, including
surfacing, and plan
for all seasons.
Residents won’t
be happy having
to trudge through
a bunch of snow
to play with their
dogs. Dog parks
should be planned as a vital compo-
nent within the community. Don’t
pick a location where residents
don’t want to go.
• Well-lit location. Lighting is rec-
ommended if your dog park will be
used in the hours before sunrise
or after sunset – again, consider
the change in seasons. It’s great
if a new dog park can make use
of existing community lighting,
but entry gates and the inside of
the park should be lit. Dog owners
should feel safe and be able to find
their dog’s waste. Solar lighting is a
fantastic option.
• Seating. Permanently installed
benches help get people off their
feet and allow for continued and
longer use of the park by pet own-
ers. Consider the demographics and
future needs of your community
– seating is another means of creat-
ing greater socialization between
your tenants, which builds a stron-
ger and safer community.
• Agility equipment. Visualize a
dog park as a playground for dogs.
Providing a fenced area and calling
it a park does not go far enough.
There are great products that offer
durability, portability, and attractive
shapes and colors for dogs to run
out some energy. When selecting
dog park products, plan to include
equipment dogs can use intuitively
rather than always having to be led
through by their owner.
• Water. Dogs dehydrate quickly
without lots of fresh water to drink.
Including a water fountain within
your park will create an amenity
where both humans and dogs can
stay and play for longer amounts
of time. There are fountain options
that feature hoses for cleaning or
spraying down dogs as well.
• Double-gate entry/fencing. Install-
ing a double-gate entry provides a
transition or unleash area for users
entering the park. The second gate
also helps ensure that dogs inside
cannot easily escape the park. The
Humane Society recommends a
minimum fence height of 5 feet for
small dogs and 7 feet for large dogs.
• Covered waste containers with
pet-waste bags. Pet-waste stations
are great products that include a
pet-waste bag dispenser and recep-
tacle on a single post. It is recom-
mended that your community
install more waste stations than
you think you need if you want to
increase compliance with picking
up pet waste. Dog waste does not
get picked up if waste bags are not
available; make a conscious effort
to keep bags stocked.
Other items that should be con-
sidered include adequate drainage,
shade and park signage, includ-
ing an emergency contact number.
Gables Old Town North
Josh Anzulewicz,
CPSI
Park planner,
designer and
outfitter, Kids Play
Ltd., Steamboat
Springs
Kids Play Ltd.
With the right landscape and agility features, off-leash areas can be a playground for your
community’s dogs as well as a socialization area for your residents.