WAILUA — Dog owners have only one option when it comes to a place where they can throw Frisbees with their best friends. Despite the fact that more than 50 percent of households across the island have dogs, Freddie’s Dog
WAILUA — Dog owners have only one option when it comes to a place where they can throw Frisbees with their best friends.
Despite the fact that more than 50 percent of households across the island have dogs, Freddie’s Dog Park at the Kaua‘i Humane Society in Puhi is the lone spot where people’s pooches can freely stretch their legs without the requirement of a leash, said Kaua‘i Humane Society Executive Director Dr. Becky Rhoades. There are a few exceptions to the rule, including when they are supervised during hunting or obedience training, but otherwise dogs can only be off-leash in dog parks and at home.
“Our dream is to have more dog-friendly areas,” Rhoades said.
That dream was expected to come true by now, but action has not been taken thus far to make it a reality.
After months of debate, the Kaua‘i County Council unanimously approved Bill 2267 and it was signed into law on Sept. 2, 2008, by interim Mayor Bill “Kaipo” Asing, who introduced the bill as a council member before being appointed to serve as mayor after Bryan Baptiste’s unexpected death in office. The law’s purpose was to establish provisions relating to dog parks and to provide “an area for dog owners to bring their dogs to enjoy being off-leash.”
Asing presented the bill as part of a compromise package to the council that he said was “fair and reasonable.”
It involved establishing a dog park on some 2.8 acres of the 17-acre park at Wailua Homesteads, pursuing state legislation to create a beach park for dogs only and providing a one-mile stretch of the path on a 12-month trial basis for dog handlers to show they can follow the rules.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. backed the plan at the time when he was serving as director of Parks and Recreation.
Councilman Tim Bynum said Friday that it would be “quite easy” to convert part of the Wailua park into a dog park, but added that it is “something the administration would have to follow through with.”
Another site mentioned as a possible location for such a facility was at Kapa‘a New Town Park in an area presently overgrown, he said.
“Previously, there was a discussion on the possibility of creating a dog park, but no money has been allocated for it,” county spokesperson Mary Daubert said in an e-mail Friday. “At this point in time, there’s no plans for a dog park moving forward.”
Beth Tokioka, executive assistant to Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., concurred.
“Although there have been conversations in the past about the possibility of establishing a dog park, especially at the time that allowing dogs on the multi-use path was being debated and it was considered an alternative way to accommodate dog owners, no specific site was ever identified as far as I can recall,” she said in an e-mail. “At the present time establishing a dog park is not on Parks’ list of active and funded projects.”
Lenny Rapozo is the current director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
Currently, the four-legged critters are not even permitted to enter any county parks regardless of whether they are on a leash, according to the bill. Anyone in violation “shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50 and not to exceed $150 for the first conviction.”
The price to construct a park would likely be small for installation of a fence — creating separate areas for big and small dogs — making water available and generating shade, Bynum said.
“I don’t think it would be very expensive, but we’d want it to be done properly,” he said. Acquiring input from neighbors in the area would be an additional step along the way in the seemingly short process.
“The cost would depend on whether there’s land acquisition involved, how large the park would be, what kind of amenities would be included, etc.,” said Daubert, when asked what the approximate price might be for installation of a dog park. “Since there’s no proposed project to cost out it’s impossible for us to make these predictions.”
Having places where canines can go helps socialize the animals which “makes for better dogs,” Rhoades said.
“It’s way overdo to put a dog park in Wailua,” Rhoades said. “Dog parks exist all over the world … people should be able to recreate with their dogs.”
Freddie’s Dog Park, which has been in existence now for some three years, has “been working really well,” Rhoades said. “We rarely have any problems.”
Bynum said he is “very supportive of the idea of dogs parks … Wailua Homesteads would maybe be a place to begin that.”
“Dogs are very popular here, we love dogs,” Rhoades said.
Attempts to reach Asing for comment were unsuccessful.
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
