Stowsentry.com - City tweaks rules at Bow Wow Beach

by Mike Lesko

Associate Editor

Stow -- City officials continue to tweak the rules at Bow Wow Beach.

A 48-inch height restriction for children will be put in place. A dog trainer will make periodic visits to the park to provide instruction. Volunteers are being sought to help keep it safer.

In the end, though, there are no perfect solutions, officials say.

"These are animals running loose in a confined space," said Councilman at large Ron Alexander, who believes without more volunteers there will be more problems in the future.

City officials discussed the 7.5-acre fenced-in dog park in Silver Springs Park at 5070 Stow Road during an Oct. 6 Public Improvements Committee meeting. No official action was taken.

The park, which opened in June of 2007, features a 3-acre lake.

"There are always bumps along the way, but the park has been a great addition," said Mayor Karen Fritschel, who has been a proponent of the dog park.

Since a small dog was killed by a larger dog at the park last spring, problems in which police were called have been limited, according to Nick Wren, parks and recreation director.

He said one involved a man who has brought four or more dogs to the park at once. Another occurred when a person brought a cat to the park.

"There are concerns about young children," said Wren, adding that youngsters should be 48 inches tall to enter. Wren, though, added that it will be difficult to enforce that restriction.

Wren said a dog trainer will conduct at least four sessions in 2009.

"We want to make sure that new users of the park are ready," he said. "We want to have solid guidelines for people to have a safe and enjoyable time."

Councilwoman Mary Bednar said, "This is for the people's -- and most importantly, the dogs' well-being."

The city is seeking volunteers to help oversee the park.

"Unless people are well-trained, they won't be effective volunteers," resident Walt Heeney said. "But 99 percent of the people abide by the rules."

Wren would like to see the minimum age for dogs who show up raised from four months to six months, although he said he realized the city won't be able to enforce the age limit.

Wren said that while the park is cleaner this year, attendance is down a bit, "which we anticipated."

There are three areas where dog owners can bring their animals -- a secured area with an outside entrance for smaller dogs, a three-sided unsecured area -- the fourth side is the lake -- and the main area.

Tallmadge's Sharon Whitfield said she believes the maximum weight limit for smaller dogs should be 25 pounds. The current weight limit is 35 pounds for the small dog area.

She added that the area "floods horribly when it rains."

"Everybody likes the wide-open small area," Councilman James Costello said. "People are staying closer to their dogs and paying more attention. Some are keeping their dogs on leashes."

Not everyone likes the park, though. A man who lives nearby the park told Council that it is a "nuisance."

"There is barking all day long," he said. "It's annoying. That's all you hear on the weekends."

Wren said the city is putting up trees to act a barrier.

"I like the idea of trying to control the noise," Bednar said.

There will continue to be no charge to use the park.

"I am glad that we're not charging," Council President Janet D'Antonio said.

Wren said dog parks are a growing trend.

He said the park will likely close for the year around Dec. 1, although that date is not etched in stone. He said it depends on the weather.

E-mail: mlesko@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3917