Dog lovers want to see pet-friendly park - Houma Courier
A pair of dog owners have started a grassroots campaign to get a dog park in Houma.
The effort began with a Facebook page, called Houma needs a dog park, that launched July 31. As of Saturday, it had 149 followers.
The effort is the brainchild of Jessica Brown, a 22-year-old Houma native now living and studying at LSU in Baton Rouge. Her dog is Sammi-Jo, a 3-year-old miniature pinscher mix rescued from the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter in 2008.
"We go everywhere together, or at least everywhere she is allowed," Brown said of her four-legged best friend.
There are four dog parks in Baton Rouge, and Brown said she and Sammi-Jo benefitted from visiting them together.
"She became more social and is healthier because she is able to run and play," Brown said. "When we are in Houma, there is no such place for her to socialize and exercise."
The good news, parish officials said, is that such a project is in the works.
The Southdown Trail System will be 14 miles of hiking and bicycling paths near Valhi Boulevard in Houma. Pets will be allowed there, though they must remain leashed.
"It doesn't exist yet," said Terrebonne Parish Councilman Kevin Voisin, whose district includes the trail. "But it's coming down the pipe."
The trail will be built using a $91,790 federal grant, which will be spent on signs, gates, bridges and road stripes, officials said. An additional $30,000 in project money will come from Terrebonne taxpayers.
Work was supposed to start this year, but delays related to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' mandated wetlands study derailed that time line, parish Planning Director Pat Gordon said. It's not yet clear when work will start.
The off-road trail, just south of Valhi Boulevard and Valhi Lagoon Court, will have miles of looping paths that will follow existing ridges and levees in a parish drainage reservoir. No motorized bikes or vehicles will be allowed. Parish officials said police will help enforce the rules.
The pet-friendly policy announced for the trail system is good news, but not exactly what Brown has in mind. She wants an off-leash park like those she frequents in Baton Rouge.
"A dog park is a place where pet owners can let their pets play, run, and get essential exercise and socialization without them being on a leash," Brown said.
Voisin said an off-leash park is a goal, albeit a far-off one.
Brown said she hasn't yet met with parish officials, saying she plans to round up a group of like-minded people via the Facebook page to tackle the issue with her.
One of those supporters is Misty McElroy, a Houma resident who works as Nicholls State University's full-time photographer and has three dogs of her own,
Among them is the recently adopted Lars, a large mix breed rescued from the parish animal shelter.
"When I walk him on his leash, he constantly wants to run. I've tried running with him, but I can't keep up," McElroy said. "He needs to be able to run his little heart out as fast as he can, and I just don't have an outlet for such a thing."
A fenced yard would help, and McElroy hopes to build one down the line, but a dog park would also be beneficial.
"I'm willing to bet there are plenty people out there in a similar situation as mine," she said, adding the ability to run unleashed would be a treat for owner and pet alike.
"The addition of the dog park could be a great draw" for out-of-towners and could even help to keep locals from moving away, she said.
"With Houma growing as quickly as it has been lately, why not add a dog park, too? It would be a wonderful addition," McElroy said.
Two decades ago, parish officials opted out of a proposed "rails to trails" plan that would have kept the old Louisiana Delta Railroad line's corridor intact as a walking, running and biking trail. Residents complained that the slender trails, which cut behind homes, would bring vandalism into the neighborhoods.
The proposed trail system is different because it's in a large open area where people are already running and biking, advocates have said.
28 Aug, 2011--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHnpL5vpeTA9WlnxHuBcx4J4l6Ysw&url=http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20110827/ARTICLES/110829599/-1/opinion?Title=Dog-lovers-want-to-see-pet-friendly-park
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