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Ariel Fernandez
Founder & Editor
[email protected]
The City of Coral Gables has begun construction of the long-awaited dog park at Salvadore Park.
The dog park, being created in the swale adjacent to the Tennis Courts at Salvadore Park on the South side (Valencia), will be the largest dog park in the City.
A project proposed by Commissioner Rhonda Anderson, the dog park is meant to fill the needs of dog owners in the City, to find a place for their dogs to enjoy outdoors.
Staff projects construction to be completed in early to mid summer.
Following completion, the temporary fencing to create the controversial dog park Catalonia Park will be taken down.
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Ariel Fernandez, what’s your position on the dog park?
I think the park is a great idea and of good benefit for dog owners.
I would like too for the police to enforce the CODE once for all. Go at any time early morning or evening to Venetia Park or the lawns at Country Club Prado and you will see of leash dogs constantly. Shame on the dog owners. Venetia Park is a filthy disgusting park thanks to them. Only used for the benefits of dog owners. Place a camera!!!
The police are underpaid and leaving. The firemen are also underpaid and leaving.
So, what do the City leaders do? They spend residents’ hard earned tax dollars on useless “art”: $100,000 for a fake slice of watermellon, over $700,000 for a slab painted like an ordinary rainbow; and recently, over 1 million $ for some artists in New York. They give the City Manager and City Attorney a bigger salary than the Governor of Florida and the Attorney General of the United States.
Today, I read about the City’s new dog park.
Is this crazy?
The City leaders should go back to their rooms in insane asylum.
Spend the money on the police, the firemen, the City employees who are doing an excellent job.
I won’t mention try to lower our taxes.
We desperately need a change in leadership. Say no to Arango.
“No to Arango.”
I agree with Ana H — the dog park is a great thing not only for our canine companions, but also for the community. It is a wonderful way to meet our neighbors. Ana concludes her comments with the advice “that it be reserved for residents only.” I am not quite sure how one would enforce that — or if it’s a good idea — but I do think it is we’ll worth considering.
My first thought would be that the park should be open to the public, free for Coral Gables residents, with a token fee for non-residents, something like $1.00 per person (or per pet). This would require a park attendant to check ID’s, but I believe that that is a good idea in any event, to alleviate the other concerns for safety, smells and conflict at the dog park. Small fees for non-residents and perhaps some “for pay” canine training classes on evenings and weekends could subsidize the upkeep of the dog park as well the park attendant. Just a thought . . .
Catalonia and Ponce are temporary. Salvador Park is in a neighborhood that knows they are on a large busy park and EVERY home nearby was not only informed, but signed in favor of adding this off leash dog park into the mix.
Second, the entry ways into the children’s vs. dog area are on exact opposite ends from each other. People are around the gables walking their dogs all the time. Most are responsible. Now they have an off leash small area. I’ve never been to a well kept dog park that has even smelled of urine or feces. The children are not being asked to interact with the dogs. They won’t even see the dog park unless they are intentionally walked behind the tennis courts to that section. Comparing a kindergarten next to a porn store made me laugh- I don’t want to know exactly what this person is imagining, but it made me laugh.
Third, Coral Gables residents have been requesting an off-leash dog park for decades now. While I too have a back yard and no, not all homes here have one or they are solo pets who benefit from socialization and play. Healthy dogs having a blast while exercising and making friends. Humans make friends there too. That is community.
I do advise that it be reserved for residents only.
There are many families who would benefit from a place where they can take both their children and kids. And for families without kids, having contact with dogs under responsible watch is a great opportunity to connect with the animal kingdom. It’s also worth noting that the Salvadore dog park is almost a full block away and completely fenced off from where kids congregate.
You wouldn’t put a strip club next to a kindergarten; you don’t put a dog park next to a family facility. Surely the location for said dog park could have been better thought out! Salvadore Park is for people!
There has been a boom in dog ownership in the Gables, especially the northern Gables, where lawns are smaller and demand for dog parks was the second biggest ask among residents, according to the City’s own Community Recreation Master Plan from 2021. Dog parks build community, promote safety and help keep every family’s Fido fit. Commissioner Kirk Menendez summed it up best at a recent meeting when he said about the need for dog parks that “maybe five years ago it wasn’t that big of an issue, but now it is a major issue.”
A dog park right next to the biggest and busiest park where children play seems like a bad combo to me. I love dogs, but little kids don’t know how to deal with them at times. I took my kids to Salvador park for years. It would have been a tense experience if there were lots of dogs coming and going nearby.
I take my dogs to a dog park. If owners scoop the poop there is never a smell.
It’s fun and relaxing for me to see my dogs running around, playing and socializing with other dogs while getting their very important exercise.
Dog parks smell like dog fecies and urine! I don’t personally like that smell and don’t want to breathe it while I’m playing tennis at the adjacent courts. Way to ruin a good thing!
I really do not understand the reason for a dog park.
I love dogs, mine romps in our backyard. The dog parks are in areas where there are homes. They have yards.Parks are for people and dogs. I love to see dogs and people in the park. My vet told me that it is not a good idea for my dog to play with other unknown dogs who may be aggressive or carrying diseases. Besides the dog park idea and aligning herself with the monied interests disappointing many who voted for her, what else has Rhonda Anderson done ?