Dog Park Construction Begins, Rules Pondered
Construction started last month on the dog park in Anthem, with opening expected this fall. Officials are now getting serious about the rules and operational details, after researching other public and private dog parks and consulting with local dog owners Mel Kahn and Barb Patterson, who made the proposal in 2017 that resulted in the park now in the works. At Anthem Community Council’s April 24 meeting, staff analyst Dawn Dworak outlined potential rules and regulations for the park.
Access would be restricted to Anthem residents only, via a keycard. Users would be required to register themselves and their dogs and sign a liability waiver. Dogs, including those owned by snowbirds, must have proof of Maricopa County registration and rabies vaccinations.
Proposed fees: $50 per household annually for up to two dogs ($10 per additional dog up to four). Each owner would get two keycards and a collar ID tag for each dog. Officials estimate perhaps 800 residents will sign up, providing $40,000 in revenue that would offset about 40 percent of estimated operating costs.
Among the proposed rules:
- Only two dogs per handler at a time
- No choke collars, muzzles, food or dog treats
- No professional dog trainers doing business
- No children under 12 (and kids 12–15 must be accompanied by an adult)
- No grooming
Proposed hours: 5:30 a.m.–9:45 p.m., May–August; 6 a.m.–9:45 p.m., September–April.Dog Park Construction Begins, Rules Pondered
No decisions were made, and residents can provide input directly to ACC staff (www.onlineatanthem.com/staff_directory) or by attending the next meeting, May 22.
