What is the importance of the Dog Parks as a part of the urban Public Open Spaces?

Starting with the first dog park established in the United States some three decades ago, dog parks have been spreading and turned popular all over the globe, and through the last decade have well penetrated into Israel as well. The purpose of these dog parks is to serve as open areas for dogs, in which they can legally and safely be released free of their belts. While the law and regulations forbid releasing dogs from their belts in all municipalities, most of them still haven't set any solution by establishing legal dog parks, while many of the existing dog parks simply do not fulfill their mission. The research is exploring what is the importance of the dog parks as a part of the urban Public Open Spaces (POS).

 

This study found that dog parks play an important role in the lives of many dog owners.  For many it is a public open space for resting and refreshing. Moreover, the dog parks serve for social meetings with other dog owners. The common denominator advantage is stronger at the park in comparison with random meetings in the street, where starting a conversation and developing personal ties is less possible. This work recommends the authorities to recognize the dog users as potential users of POS who need the park services as much as any other groups using the urban POS. A thorough urban design will be possible with the widening of a research position dog owners as a unique community with specific characteristics and needs in the urban space and the understanding of the dog owners' community and their interface with other park users. In order to maximize the use and derived benefits the owners gain from the dog parks, authorities should fulfill their basic needs. Cooperation with the dog owners and potential users in the parks' design should be encouraged:  the parks shall be located within the neighborhoods’ open spaces, thus achieving common and daily access; sitting corners shall be designed in a way encouraging interactions between those wishing it, yet still providing privacy for those preferring it.

 

For places severely lacking open spaces, alternative solutions for some combination between public parks and dogs releasing have been suggested. The authorities shall cooperate with the public of users, both dog owners and non dog owners, in order to investigate and analyze the optimal design.