Urban Dog Parks

Reports from the National Institute of Health indicate that owning a pet, such as a dog can have  number of health benefits for individuals and families. These benefits include lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, increasing serotonin levels, and reducing anxiety. With all of these benefits, it is no wonder that households with pets now outnumber households with children in the US. The difficulty with owning a dog, of course, comes in the fact that an owner needs a space adequate to take the dog for exercise and socialization. This is especially difficult to find in urban areas that are typically consumed by streets, buildings, and traffic. This has led to an increased demand for urban dog parks that allow dog owners to bring their canines to a safe and friendly environment to exercise, play, and interact with other dogs and people. Having a park in an urban area that allows the dog to run off the leash and interact with other canines helps to keep the dog content and happy, which in turn would improve it relationship with its owner. This also creates a place where pet enthusiasts can gather together and create a greater sense of community. This sense of community and togetherness applies to both the humans and their pets, as well. Having a central urban dog park also possesses environmental benefits in that it saves urban dog owners the trouble of having to travel outside of the city to exercise their dogs. This saves on fuel costs and the adverse impact on the environment that comes with increased automobile traffic.

For more information, visit the links below:

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkPlanning/Projects/site_selections/dog.park_silver.spring.shtm

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-07/dog-parks/51715340/1

http://www.nrpa.org/blog/meeting-demands-of-our-two-and-four-legged-residents/