CDFL + Community
This blog post was written by Ann Somers, CDFL principal and animal lover.
I have been a pet person my entire life and recently had the opportunity to combine my affection for animals with my experience in architecture and design. Through serving on the board of our local no-kill shelter, CARA, I’ve been reminded of the work yet to be done to ensure adoptable pets find homes, met others with a passion for animal protection and care, and shaped initiatives that will help make Jackson a better place to be a pet. Among the shelter’s many initiatives is the creation of a public dog park. As the only architect on the board I, along with my landscape architect husband, were charged with bringing the dog park dream to fruition. While on trips my husband and I visited dog parks in Houston, Chicago, New York, New Orleans and Atlanta to get ideas and see what other communities were doing to better serve their four-legged citizens. From a pocket park in New York to seven acres in Houston, it became apparent that a dog park can fit in any city environment. We learned having a place for owners to gather while their dogs played was key, as was having enough space for the dogs to chase each other around. Water features, as you might expect, were also a big hit. The parks we visited typically had a small and large dog area as well. After extensive research, we felt like we had some great ideas and a true vision for Jackson’s first dog park!
The 1.68 acres, located at CARA in northwest Jackson, features a shady, wooded walking trail along the rear of the space and an open, grassy area surrounded by a concrete sidewalk. Within the lawn space is an area for large dogs and an area for small dogs. The large dog area contains a 26’ diameter splash pool surrounded by artificial grass and built-in benches in addition to an area with agility training equipment. Adjacent to the agility training area is a 30’ diameter, half circular raised deck with built-in benches. A brick paver walkway will connect the park’s entrance to the deck. The small dog area has plastic ramps, tunnels, and steps suited to the size of the park’s more petite patrons.
Our hope is that the dog park will attract people and pets from throughout Jackson and surrounding cities. In addition to providing the area’s first dog park, one of our primary goals is to show the public the significant role CARA plays in the lives of pets and people in our community.