Dogs Get Park to Call Their Own : Dedication: Thirty dogs got to go leashless and socialize with other pets during the opening of a new two-acre preserve in Laguna Beach.

They came in all sizes, colors and breeds for the grand opening of the Laguna Beach Dog Park.

Balloons and signs announced the opening, and like other dedications, there were speeches. But then 30 dogs were turned loose in the two-acre grassy field along Laguna Canyon Road. For many of them, it was their first time to run leashless, romp and play with other dogs without having a human in tow.

Cindy Mitrano’s dog, Bayle, stood motionless for a second before he turned and headed straight for the table with the basket of dog bones. Gero, the Laguna Beach Police Department’s only K-9 and probably the best-known dog at the park Saturday, could hardly wait to begin playing with the other dogs.

“He is a very social dog,” said policeman Ted Falencki Jr., attempting to dispel the myth that police dogs are mean and do not like people or other dogs.

The dogs ran and chased each other around the field. When fatigue set in, some had difficulty finding their owners. After a short rest, they were off again.

“I just think this is the greatest idea having this park,” said Linda Rappaport of Dana Point, who stood by her panting, 160-pound English mastiff, Antigone. “It is great for the dogs to be able to socialize with other dogs.”

Greg Bishop, 31, of Laguna Beach, brought his two midnight black chow chows to the park. He kept them on their leashes, testing their sociability. “They are aloof and unpredictable,” he said of the chow chow breed. “But I think it is great that there is a place where you can bring your dog to be with other dogs.”

The park, the first in Orange County and one of the few in Southern California, was put together by Laguna Beach officials, GTE Telephone Operations, who owns the land, and RUFF (Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends), a volunteer group that works with the city animal shelter.

Located just south of the city animal shelter in Laguna Canyon, the park is one of the few public places in Laguna Beach that dogs can roam free without violating the city’s leash law. Officials expect owners to pick up after their dogs and be responsible for their behavior.

A sign at the gate to the park says, “Scoop it or lose it.”

“We are depending on the owners to make this work,” said Laguna Beach animal control officer Joy Lingenfelter. “Dogs are like children. When you keep them cooped up and alone all the time, they will begin acting out things like barking, digging up the yard and sometimes biting people. Like kids, they need attention and love and exercise.”

She is hopeful that the park and increased exercise for the city’s dogs will cut down on barking complaints. Dogs that exercise bark less, she said.

Animal obedience trainer Penny Milne, 30, of Laguna, recommended that owners put their dogs through “socialization classes” as puppies so they will behave themselves in places like the dog park.

The dog park is viewed by some residents and city officials as “a very good compromise” for an earlier plan to open one of the beaches in the community to dogs and allow them to roam freely without leashes, Milne says.

Some residents complained that the new park is too far from the city and too close to busy Laguna Canyon Road. The new park is fenced to keep dogs from running onto the highway.

Saturday’s opening went without incident. There was no barking, a few growls, and no bites.

Lynda and Jerry Nosanov of Corona del Mar brought their two longhaired dachshunds--Fraulein, 12, and Doc, 7--to the park. “It’s fabulous. It would be nice if each little community had one of these for the dogs,” Jerry Nosanov said.