Charlotte
Observer, The (NC)
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February 16, 2005 A THIRD SPOT FOR DOGS TO Life got
better for the town's dogs when Swaney Pointe K-9 Park opened in December. Celia
Bensman takes her two dogs - Molly, a 3-year-old Lab mix, and George, a
5-year-old Lab - to the new park every day. George loves to run and play
fetch; Molly prefers to "visit" with her new canine friends |
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"Dogs
are such social animals,"
says Bensman, a Cornelius resident who, with others, lobbied the Swaney
Pointe is at Dogs must
meet park guidelines and have a pooch pass to use either of the off-leash
areas. Annual pooch passes are $35. The new
park is the third off-leash dog park in Although
it was about a 40-minute drive, Bensman often took her dogs to Reedy Creek
and saw the advantage of having an off-leash park closer to home. She joined
Carolina FIDO (Friends in Dog Ownership), whose mission is to encourage the creation
of off-leash parks, and, with several friends, began hounding the county to
put a park in the Cornelius area. "This
is the first time I've ever been involved in a citizens' action group,"
Bensman says, "but I felt very strongly about this." Bensman, 56, was born on the west coast of
The
Bensmans moved to Cornelius nine years ago. Celia serves on the board of
directors of the Peninsula Homeowners Association and is a member of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Republican Women's Club, while Jim is on the Cornelius
Board of Commissioners. They have always had dogs and are active in the Lab
rescue organization. Molly and George are rescued dogs. Celia
Bensman says she and a group of about six friends went to all the county
workshops on parks for about two years. They talked about the need for an
off-leash dog park in northern "Our
number one request at workshops and in surveys was a dog park," says
Isaac Applewhite, director of the North Park District. "We were on the fast track to build
one when the county formed an Off-Leash Advisory Council to look at the whole
issue. That put us on hold for a few months, but in October we got the word
to move forward." From that
point on, things moved quickly and the new park was officially opened on Dec.
11, 2004. Applewhite
says the park cost about $38,000, raised mainly through the sale of
"pooch passes" at the other two county dog parks. While there is no
money left in that pot, Applewhite hopes to raise more money to build
additional amenities for the Ramsey Creek park, including a doggie obstacle
course with jumps and tunnels. He plans to sell sponsorships to companies,
which can then put up display signs on the fences around the dog park. One
sponsor is already lined up: Camp Wagging Tails, a dog care and boarding
facility the Bensmans plan to open this spring in Cornelius. Buoyed by
the success of the effort to get a dog park at Ramsey Creek and her love of animals, Bensman has started her
next project: a new animal shelter for Cornelius and
Huntersville. The towns
share a facility that is inadequate for the need. Estimates for a new shelter, for which both towns set aside
$50,000 this year, came in more than three times higher than what was
budgeted. Bensman
is serving on a committee working with animal control officers from Cornelius and Huntersville to raise
money for the shelter. The
committee is planning a dinner and silent auction later this year to benefit
the shelter. "The
towns may add to their contributions when they plan their 2006 budgets, but
we're still going to have to raise money through the private sector to make
the shelter a reality,"
Bensman says. Questions?
For
information about getting a pooch pass or to learn more about dog park rules
and regulations, visit the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
Department's Web site at www.charmeck.org. |
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Copyright (c) 2005 The Charlotte
Observer |
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