Dog Park Resources

We know that a challenge in starting - or maintaining - a dog park is finding resources for a park's infrastructure.

Deen Gill of Permapave Northwest offers a solution for surface area near a water source.

NO MUD WRESTLING HERE

It’s a given that residents with pets appreciate a well-though-out, well-constructed and well-maintained dog park.  A dog parks adds to a neighborhood’s appeal and enjoyment.  But a dog park can quickly become a place of disappointment, and target of complaints if it does not receive proper attention; disappointment if the area has to be locked down for rehabilitation which could lead to complaints from dog owners and other residents.

Fortunately, most municipalities are aware of the difficulties in keeping a dog park in top-notch operating order.  The idea of dog parks has been readily growing in the last 15-20 years.  Some of the earlier dog parks have had to retrofit their facility to better serve the neighborhood’s furry friends, but new design concepts have addressed most dog-owner concerns about the efficiencies of the facilities.

Owners know that dogs play very strenuously in dog parks, and that shade and water are an absolute necessity.  Where there is no water available, it is very possible that dogs may suffer from heat exhaustion, or even heatstroke, which is potentially fatal.  Owners are also aware that dogs + water can easily turn into mud- meaning mud holes in the park, mud on the dog, mud on the owners and maybe even in cars.  So how do dog park designers care for the dogs that will be using the parks without turning the entire park area into a giant mud bowl?

One innovative approach is pervious pavers from Permapave Northwest made of rock and binder with an amazing flow-through rate of 1 gallon of water per second.

The city of Rancho Cucamonga, California used these pavers to their advantage in a dog park retrofit with a solution that was both effective and visually appealing.

City workers installed the Permapave NW over a reservoir area filled with crushed rock and bedding material.  The result was a watering area that, instead of flooding and creating mud, drained instantly and returned the valuable runoff to the Southern California aquifer as quickly as possible.   

Low Impact Design methods like those which utilize Permapave NW pavers can offer effective solutions that keep designers, dog-owners and their dogs happy.  For more information on LID design concepts featuring Permapave NW pavers, please see www.permapavenw.com or email pavers@permapavenw.com.