Claremont Officials Set Aside College Park Area for Dogs
Howls of joy could be heard from some four-legged residents of Claremont this week as the power of the pooch persuaded the City Council to unanimously approve a law setting aside an acre of College Park for unleashed dogs and their owners.
“We really are putting in a pooch park,” said Mayor Algird Leiga. “The dog owners came to the city and suggested the idea. They raised the money to fence off an area and did an exemplary job of public outreach.”
Promoting an Outdoor Oasis for Canines and Humans, a grass-roots group better known as POOCH, has spent more than a year convincing city officials to buy into the idea of a fenced-in, off-leash dog park, and raised about $3,000 to help the city do it, said Mark Hodnick, parks manager and dog owner. Up to now, dogs have been banned from parks.
“This is a growing trend in recreation. More and more citizens are recognizing people want to take well-behaved dogs out unleashed to socialize,” he said.
So popular was the vote, Councilwoman Diane Ring says, “when we voted, we voted in the names of our own dogs.”
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