For Canines (and People, Too)

Dog Parks Are Becoming the Preferred Place to Meet and Greet

Panorama
Dog Parks for People
PANORAMA: Area dog parks like the the Fort Ethan Allen Community Canine Area in north Arlington have become social scenes not only for dogs, but for people, especially baby boomers, as well. Sherrard Foster and her golden retriever Abby visit the park nearly every day, with Abby reaping the benefits of exercise and Foster gaining a sense of community through the friends she has made there.

Sherrard Foster's marriage of 30 years broke up recently, and she's now going through a painful divorce. Her elderly father died a few weeks ago after a lengthy illness. And her multiple sclerosis is advancing again after years of remission.

In the midst of all that heartache, though, there's still one thing she looks forward to every day: spending a couple of hours with her best friends, and her golden retriever Abby, at an Arlington County dog park.

"I'd be suicidal if I didn't have this park," Foster, 62, said recently as she sat on a picnic table surrounded by friends -- and dogs -- at the Fort Ethan Allen park. "Coming here is the central part of my day. I couldn't live without it."

The local dog park has found a permanent home in the Washington region, evolving into a place where people can find and build a community in a sprawling metropolitan area that offers few venues outside the workplace to make friends, particularly for baby boomers or for those who find themselves alone.

Once a bone of contention in some communities, local officials are catching on to how important these parks have become, not so much for dogs but for their owners. In recent years, two dozen have opened across the region, including eight in Arlington, seven in Fairfax County and three in Prince George's County. The District and Prince William County, which have no designated public off-leash areas for dogs, are set to get on board.

"At first, people questioned why we were building parks for dogs," said Tim White, acting director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, which has opened seven dog parks since 2000. "But they're not for dogs. They're for people. Saying you're building a dog park for dogs is like saying you're building a golf course for golf balls."

In many instances, the dog park has become the equivalent of the neighborhood bar for people looking to socialize, expand their circle of friends -- or just have a pleasant conversation with someone after work. Dog parks are usually busiest from 5 to 7 p.m.

"Some people go to happy hour and have drinks," said Mariesa Barros, sitting at a picnic table recently with friends in Georgetown's Rose Park. "I come here."

Barros, 46, got her current job and her apartment through friends she made at her local dog park.

Like others in the city, though, her dog park isn't official, a fact that scares the dozens of dog owners who use the park -- and depend on it as a social lifeline.

Barros, who is single, said she goes to the park "365 days a year -- rain, sun, snow, sleet, whatever." She usually heads there right after work. "I get all my socializing done here. Then I go home and have dinner."

Barros recalls one couple who met at her dog park and later got married. After the wedding, they showed up at the park in their wedding clothes with champagne -- and their dogs -- for an impromptu reception with their friends.