Bark park group is working with help of Maui Humane Society to help create a prerequisite for Wailea dog owners who want to use the parks, a "Pooch Pass." The passes would probably cost only a couple of dollars and help pay for some of the parks' maintenance.
reprinted
courtesy Maui News 9/5/10
by Chris Hamilton, Staff Writer
Liz Suter kept seeing the same Upcountry dog lovers walking their pets and struggling to do it safely without enough sidewalks on Maui.
About 2-1/2 years ago, pet enthusiasts started chatting about how great it would be to build one of those roomy, relatively new American phenomena, a dog park, maybe in the little-used overflow parking lot at the Eddie Tam Memorial Center.
The informal Upcountry Dog Park group has grown to about 50 active members since, and they are on the precipice of fundraising for a dog park, and hopefully, construction in the following months.
The group is working to make the facility a reality with the help of the administration of Mayor Charmaine Tavares, the Maui Humane Society and the Maui County Council.
"We're not afraid of doing all the work for our park," Suter said recently. "We don't care where it is or what it will take. We just want to get on with it. We want to work with the county hand in hand."
The Tavares administration is moving forward with a popular but much-delayed plan to designate existing parks where owners can unleash their dogs and let them run free. Current county ordinances require that dogs remain on leashes outdoors in public areas. On private property, dogs need to be in fenced areas.
But now the Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking public comment on draft administrative rules that set up guidelines for the proposed parks. The guidelines will set the stage for construction of dog parks in the coming year.
With tight leash laws and growing urban populations, dog parks have flourished across the United States. The Maui County Council approved laws back in late 2008 to give county parks officials the authority to build some here.
After much discussion and lining up at community partners, the parks department has readied its rules for the "bark parks," as they are sometimes called. The rules lay out a lot of basic principles, like saying that dog owners, not the county, would remain responsible for their pet's behavior, just as in any other public place, said parks Director Tamara Horcajo.
"It's really a positive thing," she said. "It's our intent to promote what's really a very healthy activity for both the dogs and people, and it's great for dogs to socialize. We also want to create a safe environment for them both.
"The dog parks are becoming more of a necessity these days," she said. "When these rules are passed (in a couple months), we will all know what the expectations are. We will need the public's help in getting the parks built, too. The parks will be open along with regular park hours, but the parks department will not be staffing them."
The Maui Humane Society has offered to partner with the county and help create a prerequisite for dog owners who want to use the parks, a "Pooch Pass." The passes would probably cost only a couple of dollars and help pay for some of the parks' maintenance, Horcajo said.
The Pooch Pass is also a way of ensuring responsible behavior by owners, Horcajo said. If a dog becomes unruly due to neglect, the pass would be suspended or revoked. The rules also include items such as no bikes in the parks, no more than two dogs per owner, no children under 12, no dogs under 4 months old and no persistent barking or sick animals.
But how many dog parks and - in these difficult economic times - how the parks would be paid for remains undecided, Horcajo said.
A dog park, depending on its size and how elaborate it is typically costs between $80,000 and $240,000, said Jason Lopez, a recreation program planner.
The county would pursue a number of public-private partnerships that have been successful around the country and on Oahu, he said. And each of Maui County's five recreation districts would get at least one park, maybe more, depending on the amount of interest, Lopez said.
Horcajo is encouraging dog lovers like Suter to get together and contact the county.
The 17-page draft dog park administrative rules are available for public viewing at all county parks district permit offices. If dog owners are interested in creating a group to partner with the county, they are asked to call Lopez at 270-8061.
The county Department of Parks and Recreation hosted the first of two public meetings last month in Waikapu to explain the draft dog park rules and see who's interested in starting a park. About 30 people attended, including a few community groups that want a dog park in their neighborhoods, Lopez said.
"For the most part, everyone is happy with the direction we're moving in," Lopez said. "Although we're never moving fast enough for them."
Suter, who owns four dogs, and has traveled to several Mainland dog parks, said barking isn't usually a problem.
"Dogs bark when they're left alone at home," Suter said. "They're pretty quiet at dog parks because they're too busy running around and playing and having fun."
A happy, healthy dog is also more quiet when it's at home, she said.
Oahu dog park organizer Elaine Dobashi spoke at the department's recent meeting and explained how the park is managed on busy days with as many as 60 dogs inside at a time.
Her nonprofit, Hui 'Ilio Hawaii, raised more than $100,000 for its park. The organization also promotes the creation of more dog parks and preaches the benefits of vaccination, behavior training and dog socialization, according to the hui's website. Information about Hawaii Kai Dog Park can be found online at www.hui-ilio.org.
"These are really important developments," Suter said. "We've found it's really hard to raise money if you don't have a designated area. . . . It's pretty hard to ask, 'Would you like to donate $1,000 for a dog park?' if you can't say when and where it will be built."
To contact Suter, send e-mail to the group at upcountrydogpark@gmail.com.
* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
reprinted courtesy Maui News 9/5/10, original link www mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/540088.html
brought to you by Wailea Makena Real Estate Inc.
www.Wailea-Makena-real-estate.com
Peter Gelsey R (PB)
Wailea Makena Real Estate, Inc.
direct (808) 344-8000
Toll free 800-482-5089
fax (808) 442-0946
email peter@petergelsey.com