Officials Looking to ‘Let the Dogs Out’ Into Proposed Expanded Park
Advocates Say City Has Outgrown Half-Acre Dog Park

“On busy days parking at the dog park becomes impossible, and fistfights have actually broken out over parking.”

Leonard Timm with dogs at Veterans Park. Photo courtesy city of Aventura.

By Randy Abraham

Aventura officials will look into the possibility of expanding a half-acre dog park area in Veterans Park.

However, setting up a dog park at Founders Park or Waterways Park would be out of the question, the Aventura City Commission declared.

More than two dozen dog owners attended the City Commission’s July 20 meeting requesting more green space for canines.

“Our city is growing overpopulated, especially with dogs, and we’re still stuck with a half-acre dog park,” said resident Robin Tobias, who noted that newer buildings in the city have owners of large as well as small dogs, unlike older buildings that had a 30-pound weight restriction. “We’ve outgrown it, and we’re asking the city to work with us to accommodate our needs. On busy days parking at the dog park becomes impossible, and fistfights have actually broken out over parking.”

Some residents said they enjoyed going to the original dog park at Founders Park, the first park developed by the city. But City Manager Eric Soroka noted that if a dog park were to return to Founders Park, it wouldn’t be restricted to Aventura residents like Veterans Park, where an Aventura identification card is required for entry. “You would be providing a dog park for all of Northeast Miami-Dade,” he said.

Soroka said restrictions placed on the property by a former owner would not permit the city to limit Founders Park’s use to city residents.

Founders Park was originally envisioned as a residents-only park when it was deeded to the city in 1998. But the property’s previous owner donated the park land to the county years prior to Aventura’s incorporation, and a deed restriction that calls for the area to be open to the entire public was made a condition of the donation, Soroka said. When the city received a $1 million grant from the county to develop a park on the property, it was bound by the same restriction. If the city were to restrict Founders Park to city residents, “You would have to return $1 million to the county,” said Soroka. “You cannot do anything to inhibit nonresidents from using that space.”

Soroka added that Founders Park was never intended as a place where owners could unleash their dogs and let them run free. Dog owners were supposed to keep their dogs on a leash, but that regulation was regularly flouted. Soroka called the situation a result of the “city trying to do too much on that space.”

When Founders Park was being planned shortly after the city incorporated in 1995, there were months of intense discussions and a Town Hall meeting. Some preferred the park to be devoted to active play for the burgeoning population of children and young adults. Many longtime residents, however, preferred a passive park that provided benches and walking paths. The city bisected the park area into passive and active sections and segregated both uses with a fence.

“Founders Park was never designed to be used for dogs,” said Soroka, who added that its use by dog owners created safety concerns. “They were supposed to be on leashes only. It became a big fiasco.”

Resident Cookie Wynne said she would like to see a walking area for adults at the dog park, such as at Founders Park. “It’s a social occasion for us, too,” said Wynne. “A lot of friendships have been made there.”

Susie Smith added that in each condo complex, dogs must be kept on a leash. “A dog park is the only area where they can get exercise,” she said.

Also suggested by dog owners: using an acre of the seven-acre expansion area earmarked for Waterways Park in the city’s northern reaches. However, with a water splash pad, basketball courts and other play areas planned, city officials felt providing a new dog park would take away from humans’ play areas.

Mayor Susan Gottlieb, who described herself as a dog owner and lover, said expansion plans at Waterways Park have already been finalized, and there was not enough room to add a dog park. She added that Veterans Park was designed for small children and that “I’m reluctant to take that space away from the children.”

Soroka said planning an expansion of the current dog park could take six to eight months. He didn’t think it would be possible to double the size of the dog park, but said that a 20 to 30 percent increase could be realized by reconfiguring landscaping and moving a fence to obtain more usable space.

But it might not be easy, Soroka said. “We don’t have a lot of open space, and we have to make the best use of it.”

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