Amid huge bows decorated with dog biscuits, Bristol officials formally opened the city’s first dog park with a Tuesday afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremony at Charlie Robinette Park.
“It’s going to give our little furry friends a chance to enjoy our parks even more than they have in the past,” said Bristol Mayor David Shumaker – who was accompanied by Lulabelle, his Boston terrier – during the opening ceremony for “Bark Park,” a one-acre gated facility for dogs at Robinette, on Vance Drive.
In addition to Shumaker, numerous Bristol officials attended the unveiling of “Bark Park,” with their pets in tow, including Councilwoman Michelle Dolan and her two dogs, Phoebe and Oscar.
The dog park – complete with separate, fenced-in areas for large and small animals, combination drinking fountains-dog bowls, imitation fire hydrants and plenty of “doggie dump” bags – is the second phase of work planned at Charlie Robinette Park, which was opened in April 2010 to honor Bristol’s late former public-service director.
“It’s something that we can really be proud of,” city Parks and Recreation Director Terry Napier said of “Bark Park,” which took a year to plan and build.
Napier and Bristol City Manager Jeffrey Broughton said the park was designed to provide dogs of all sizes with enough room to exercise – and their owners with a scenic, attractive view of nature.
“This is another happy day in the history of our Parks and Recreation system,” Broughton said.
Liza Conway, head of Chainfree Bristol – a nonprofit advocacy group that actively pushes for the humane treatment of local animals – praised the city for providing extensive land for the dog park.
“There’s going to be plenty of happy dogs running around here,” Conway said. “And there’s plenty of room here for them to run, too.”
rbrown@bristolnews.com
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