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Going to the dogs The group behind a plan to bring a dog park to town appears to be barking up the right tree. Members of Marshfield's Dog Park Committee say they've decided on a site for the new park and have already raised several thousand dollars for the project. Dog Park Committee chairman Brad White said the long, hard winter prevented the group from finding a site for the park sooner, but they are close to settling on a parcel of conservation land the town is willing to donate. "We're still working on the logistics of the surveying in finalizing the site selection and we are ready to announce the exact location within the next three weeks," White said. White dropped some hints about the site, saying it already has parking nearby and describing it as a "nicely wooded area of Marshfield surrounded by some of nature's most beautiful flowering trees and rugged territory that dogs will have a wonderful time in." Marshfield Animal Control Officer Norma Haskins came up with the idea for a dog park in October of last year after two large dogs were attacked by coyotes. Coyote attacks have been occurring in Marshfield for about 10 years but the wild canines usually only attack smaller animals like cats or pets left outside alone for long periods time. When the two large dogs were attacked right in front of their owner, Haskins decided the town needed a fenced in area where dogs and their owners could roam without fear of an attack. The Dog Park Committee has since launched a Web site, www.marshfieldbarkpark.org, and raised thousands of dollars in private donations and through fundraisers including a lemonade stand set up at the North River Arts Festival Memorial Day weekend, White said. The land that the committee's site selection group has chosen is 2 to 6 acres, White said. The exact acreage won't be known until an official survey can be conducted. White said that while original plans called for creating an agility area, wading pool and other specialized areas for canines, those plans might not be necessary because White said the committee could just use the natural landscape. "It will be rugged, it will natural, it will be loaded with trees and bushes and shrubs and we do not intend to go in and do anything like clear cut or put in any permanent structures," White said. "It's going to be a low impact, easy use area." White said the Dog Park Committee is looking into getting some kind of shed put in the park to house toys and agility equipment for the dogs, but none of the structures would be permanent. The only permanent feature would be a fence, which the group is hoping to get a local group to install. The Committee is working to make sure the park is handicapped accessible, White said. Residents of other towns, including Pembroke, Scituate and Nashua, N.H. have contacted members of the Marshfield Dog Park Committee to ask them about building a park in their own towns, but White said the Committee is only focused on Marshfield right now. "We really want this to be a place where the 3,500 licensed dog owners in Marshfield can be proud of and use everyday," White said. White said the Dog Park Committee hopes to have the park completed by the end of the summer. ### |
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