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Politics & Government

Dog Owners Want Money From Permits Used to Improve Dog Parks

Wheaton dog park is one of five in the county affected by new permitting process.

Users of the dog park in Wheaton Regional Park are angry that money generated by a new permitting requirement won't be funneled into making needed upgrades at the small gravel park — one of the few places in the county where their dogs can run free.

"We don't have a fenced yard, so this is really his only chance to get off the leash and run," said Paul Witting, who was at the park Sunday morning, watching his goldendoodle (a golden retriever and poodle mix) Donnie race around the park.

Montgomery County requires dogs to be leashed when they are off their owners' property. Dogs are allowed to run free in five dog parks in the county system: Cabin John Regional Park, Olney Manor Park, Black Hill Regional Park, Ridge Road Recreational Park and Wheaton Regional Park, which is located behind the athletic fields off Arcola Avenue.

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Dog owners like Witting aren't opposed outright to the new dog park fee. As of Aug. 1, anyone wishing to use a county dog park must buy a permit. The fee for county residents is $40 annually for the first dog and $5 for each additional dog; non-residents must pay $48 annually for the first dog and $6 for each additional dog. Those who purchase permits get colorful tags for their dogs' collars.

But residents want the money invested back into the dog parks, especially Wheaton, which was created in 2003 and is the oldest park in the system.

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Sought-after improvements include installing a frost-free water pump that could be kept on year-round and replacing old, worn gravel with a new surface, said Eric Sutton, who sits on the advisory board of the nonprofit Friends of the Wheaton Dog Park, the only non-profit association of dog park users in the county.

Dog owners are also concerned that the permitting requirement will discourage people from using the park, particularly those who have fixed or low incomes. The county parks department has no provision to waive or reduce the permitting fee based on financial need.

"It's going to scare away some people," said Fred Ackerman, a board member who was at the park Sunday with his two dogs, Shorty and Sophie.

Since the permit requirement took effect, roughly 500 dog park permits have been issued, said Kelli Holsendolph, spokeswoman for the department, which is part of the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. The permits are expected to generate $40,000 for county parks during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011.

The Wheaton Friends group, formed three years ago, has had some recent success with the parks department, including getting a new cement surface poured over the park's previously muddy entrance. A new shed was also installed for tools and equipment, including a children's wading pool that is filled for the dogs in summer.

Now that dog owners have to pay for their park, Sutton and others want the group to become even more vocal about concerns, which not only include physical improvements but also handling tricky situations such aggressive dogs and hostile owners in the park.

Holsendolph said county officials are willing to meet with Friends representatives to figure out funding priorities. Permit funds cannot be directed specifically to the park, but other funds could possibly be tapped for specific projects, she said.

Meanwhile, those who violate the new permit regulation face fines of $50 for a first offense. However, park police have agreed in the program's early weeks to give dog owners warnings and to help educate them about the new requirement.

In addition to permits for dog park use, the county parks department requires permits for filming and photography, use of ball fields, bus parking spaces, campsites, activity buildings, picnic shelters, the gymnasium at Woodside Gym and the in-line rink at Ridge Road park.

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