Photo courtesy of Jaime Melton Anderson.
Located at 531 Cherokee Drive in Trussville, the dog park features more than an acre of off-leash areas for dog to play and run freely.
Dogs from Trussville and the surrounding area now have their own park to play in.
Run by Trussville Dog Park Auxiliary (TDPA), the Cahaba Dog Park invited dog-loving friends in the surrounding areas to enjoy a day at the park with their pets Feb. 14, where their dogs could socialize and enjoy the outdoors in the brand new park.
“The fence [and] signs are up, and the waste receptacles have been installed,” said Jaime Anderson, one founder of the Cahaba Dog Park and immediate past president of the TDPA, prior to the opening. “Two Eagle Scouts built two beautiful benches for both the large and small dog areas.”
The dog park was developed in response to a large community outreach effort through Facebook started last year.
“There was four of us that started this effort about a year ago,” Anderson said. “There was just a communitywide interest for building a dog park.”
After receiving more than an acre of land, the TDPA board made a contract with the city of Trussville and followed specific requirements.
“We are responsible for everything,” she said. “The fence, waste receptacles, benches, as well as an annual insurance policy for the park.”
The park is funded solely on donations and raised $20,000 to pay for all the needs to open. “It’s been a group effort and has taken a lot of work, but we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community,” Anderson said.
Located at 531 Cherokee Drive, the dog park features more than an acre of off-leash areas for dog to play and run freely.
The location was selected specifically to be unobtrusive and out of the way from adjacent parks.
“We put it away so folks who love dogs can come there and they don’t mind the noise and running around,” Anderson said.
Nestled around the Cahaba River, the dog park was created with the help of the Cahaba River Society.
“It has natural trees and natural variations in the land, which all were kept in place,” Anderson added. “We just simply put a fence around it and had a work day to clean there area.”
The February event was just a soft opening, and Anderson said the grand opening will be May 5, with a booth at the Trussville Area Chamber City Fest with signs pointing the way to the dog park.
“When they come to City Fest with their dog, they can cross the street down Cherokee and the park is right there,” she said.
The event was chosen because of its former name, Dog Daze.
“Everyone knows that City Fest used to be Dog Daze, so we are hoping to play off of that just a little bit,” she said. “Not to use the term for our park because it is the Cahaba Dog Park, but we want to bring back the dog days.”
Anderson said there are other specific requirements for the park listed under the city of Trussville contract, including being closed on rainy days due to lack of cleaning facilities, and addressing pet aggression or irresponsible owners.
The Cahaba Dog Park Auxiliary is responsible for these concerns and overall ownership of the park, as well as encouraging accountability and proper behavior for park visitors.
“We understand that there is going to be a wide spectrum of acceptable behavior from different dog owners,” she said. “One of our goals is to educate dog owners. Not only are we going to hold training sessions with dog trainers at the park, but there will be classes offered through Parks and Recreation to help pet owners recognize if their dog ready for a dog park experience.”
Anderson said rules are posted and suggested if there are any signs of aggression in the park area that visitors be a ‘Good Neighbor’ and remove the dog, regardless of breed or size. This also applies to cleaning up after pets.
There is a double entry fence at both the large and small dog locations. Because Trussville has leash laws, pet owners can enter the first gate, remove the leash and open the second entrance to the park to let their dog loose to run.
“This not only helps you keep control of your dog, but you don’t have a bunch of dogs trying to escape when someone is coming in the gate,” she said.
The park will rely partly on its visitors to ensure everyone is safe and enjoying their day with furry friends.
“We believe … people that come to the park will come to be responsible and have a good time,” Anderson said. “We also hope that pet owners will watch out for their neighbor and make sure they follow and understand the rules.”
Cahaba Dog Park
WHERE: 531 Cherokee Drive
FACEBOOK: Cahaba Dog Park
