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Recommendations and Guidelines for Dog Park Site Selection, Design, Operations and Maintenance
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<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />Dog parks have grown in popularity throughout the country as more people have pets and are asking that
<br />communities provide recreational opportunities for them. The City of Ann Arbor is no exception. This planning
<br />document has been developed in response to resident advocacy for additional dog parks and to assure that,
<br />moving forward, the existing and proposed dog park areas are successful and well received.
<br />The City of Ann Arbor currently has 158 parks covering 2,118 acres. Two of these parks contain fenced off-
<br />leash dog run areas, known as dog parks. These include 10-acre Swift Run Park and .7-acre Olson Park.
<br />These parks are located at the extreme south and north of the City, and residents have requested that new
<br />dog park areas be more accessible to their residence. This document provides historical information on the
<br />background leading up to the development of the existing dog parks, information about the existing dog
<br />parks in the City, data about dog parks in other cities, guidelines for the location and design of any new off-
<br />leash dog parks, and guidelines for how to improve existing dog parks. In addition, details are provided
<br />about the process that the City’s dog park subcommittee went through to establish these guidelines.
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<br />BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
<br />A Brief History
<br />Public advocacy to establish dog parks dates to the mid 1990’s. To address these requests, in 1997, a Dog
<br />Off-Leash Taskforce was formed as recommended by staff and the Park Advisory Commission with the goal
<br />of gathering and reviewing information, reporting findings, and making recommendations for the design,
<br />placement, and management of dog parks. The task force met for seven months. Their work included holding
<br />interviews with dog behavioral specialists, and researching materials on dog behaviors and management
<br />from around the country.
<br />The resulting report, (attached as a hyperlink) released in 1998, addressed design criteria, including size,
<br />fencing, gates and entrances, sanitation facilities, water, surfacing, shade, seating, emergency phone, agility
<br />equipment, paths, parking, park maintenance, supervision and monitoring, signs, and hours of operation. It
<br />also provided information about obtaining a permit, dog park rules, costs and funding, enforcement, changing
<br />the City ordinance, and a pilot project. The report was presented to the Park Advisory Commission in
<br />November of 1998.
<br />The effort to establish the first dog park did not move forward until 2005 as there were concerns about
<br />potential management issues, funding, and resistance from residents. However, the concept of an off-leash
<br />dog park continued to gain momentum in the intervening years and advocates continued to lobby to establish
<br />one or more dog parks. In response, the City researched potential locations using the criteria developed in the
<br />1998 report. In 2005, the City started discussions with the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation
<br />Commission, who were also hearing from constituents that a dog park was a desired amenity, to explore the
<br />joint development of a dog park at Swift Run Park.
<br />Establishment of Dog Parks in Ann Arbor
<br />In June 2007, City Code was amended to provide for dogs to run off-leash in designated dog play areas
<br />(i.e., dog parks). In December 2007, a partnership agreement was signed between the City of Ann Arbor and
<br />the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission for the development, maintenance, and operation of
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