Dog park to open Saturday

DOWNEY - The new dog park at Rio San Gabriel Park will open Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.The dog park, which consists of two separate dog runs for small and large canines, is located in the southeast section of the park, alongside the San Gabriel River. "Even though we are in tough economic times, we are happy to be able to do something positive for our residents, with only minimal costs to our city," said Councilman David Gafin, who was chief proponent of the dog park. "We are consistently looking into ways to help enhance our community and this new dog park will not only add recreational value to our city, but also promote a safe, active experience for our local dog owners and their pets." Dog owners will be responsible for their dogs at all times while inside the park, and there is a maximum of two dogs allowed per owner. Other rules: dogs must be off-leash while inside the dog park, dogs must be over four months old and vaccinated for rabies and parvo, no aggressive dogs, and spiked, pinch or shock collars are not allowed. "We are extremely excited to be opening our very own dog park here in Downey and are glad that our residents will now have a place close to home to take their dogs," said Mayor Anne Bayer. The dog park was unanimously approved by the City Council in August at a cost of about $35,000. For a complete list of dog park rules and regulations, go online to www.downeyca.org. Signs will also be posted inside the park.

********** Published: November 4, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 29