Give A Dog A Park

"Call them paradises for pooches. Coral Springs and Fort Lauderdale each have one. Hollywood wants a better one. Plantation and Pembroke Pines are building their own. And now Weston is clamoring for one, too. Cities around Broward County are creating special parks where dogs can run around leash-free, romp with other dogs, and in some cases, enjoy their own play equipment, water fountains and pools. The park boom follows a national trend. The Friends of Bark Park in Fort Lauderdale estimates that in 1989, there were only 20 dog parks in the country. Ten years later that number exploded to almost 350. Broward has at least three dog parks, and more are coming. The reasons behind the parks' popularity are plenty, including more widespread leash laws and restrictions on where dogs are allowed to walk, as well as a fundamental change in the way people think about their pets."