Dale City residents push for dog park

DALE CITY, VA. - When 12-year-old Ana Santiago was looking for a Girl Scout community service project to do, she and her mother, Sheila, thought of volunteering to clean up a local dog park.

"Then we realized there was no dog park," Sheila Santiago said. "So then the project changed."

Now the Santiagos are trying to raise money -- and support -- for a public dog park in Prince William County.

They started a Facebook group called, "Unleash Your Voice: Bring a Dog Park To Prince William Co.," which has attracted 69 members in about a week.

"Since we don't have one dog park in all of Prince William County, this page is created to let our county representatives know that we require a place for our four-legged friends to play," the Facebook group description reads.

The Santiagos held a yard sale Saturday at their Dale City home and raised about $100 to donate to a future dog park.

Ana also has been doing extra chores around the house to raise money, she said.

Ana said she thinks a dog park would be good for the area.

"It's good for the community," she said. "It will bring us all together."

The Santiagos said a dog park would also be beneficial for their dog, a black lab mix named Tony.

"He's so friendly, he needs a place to play," said Sheila Santiago.

A few businesses, such as the Merrifield Garden Center, on Wellington Road in Gainesville, have dog parks, but there are no dog parks on public land in the county.

The Prince William Park Authority has been talking to area residents about the need for a dog park in the county for years, said Park Authority spokeswoman Dianne Cabot, and plans for a dog park could soon be under way.

"The Park Authority staff has been diligently working on two possible locations for a dog park," Cabot said in an e-mail. "Both locations are in the eastern half of Prince William, are currently unused land, and both would be a low or 'no cost' leasing agreement."

The dog park proposals will likely go to the Park Authority Board's Facilities Committee in Sep-tember, Cabot said.

"The greatest hurdle for the Park Authority is to find a group of citizens, or an organization, that would like to partner with us in the development of a dog park," Cabot said.

There is no money in the authority's budget for a dog park, so a group or organization would be needed to donate money for things like fencing and trash cans and to help maintain the park.

The Santiagos said they and other area residents they know would be willing to help out.

Ana said she has done some research about what's needed for a dog park -- things like a water source, level ground, benches and signs -- and is ready to solicit donations.

She also plans to start a petition asking for others' support.

"A lot of people who came to our yard sale were supportive of the idea," said Sheila Santiago. "And a lot of people are surprised we don't have a public dog park already."

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-530-3908.