'Bark' park opens Saturday

Franklin Hayes/Gulf Breeze News Dog lovers (from left to right) Edie Fillinger, Carol Pulley, Ginger Green, Kerrin Kostelic and Auston Fillinger enjoy the brand new amenities at the City of Gulf Breeze Dog Park. Grab Fido's favorite tennis ball and get ready for the grand opening of the Gulf Breeze Dog Park this Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The park, affectionately referred to as the Shoreline Bark Park because of its proximity to Shoreline Park South, is an approximately 30,000 square foot enclosed facility complete with benches, trash cans and doggie excrement bags. The new city facility is designed to be the ultimate canine getaway in Gulf Breeze. Worried about taking your Chihuahua to mingle with rottweilers? That shouldn't be a problem because the dog park, located between the Shoreline South Boat Ramp and Shoreline Drive, includes a separate section for smaller breeds and five-foot tall chain link fence around the perimeter.

"It's bigger than the back yard," Charles Logan said as he reclined on a park bench, watching his weimaraner named Zelda and English setter named Trip enjoy the park's amicable atmosphere. "Trip wants to explore the whole town and it's nice to have some place to take him. I took him to [Bayview Dog Park in] Pensacola and it looked like he was ready to leave at any moment."

Any dog owner interested in using the park must first register their animal at city hall, which is less than half a mile away. The annual cost of the city's dog license is $6 for spayed or neutered dogs and $9 for animals that have not been spayed or neutered. Residents aged 65 or older qualify for the senior citizen's discount, reducing the license to $3.

"If you're going to visit the park, you need to have [the City Of Gulf Breeze dog license]," said Carolyn Whitman, President of the Gulf Breeze Dog Lover's Association (GBDL).

Park patrons are asked to follow a few simple rules when visiting:

No children under age 8

No buried treasure (please clean up after Fido with provided bags) No aggressive dogs

No tobacco or food products

The opening of the park this weekend is the final step in a lengthy process that started in the winter of 2005, when Carolyn and Malcolm Whitman went before city officials to request a dog park. After a unanimous approval by the Parks Advisory Board, the Whitmans successfully created a "friends of the park" organization consisting of volunteers who agreed allocate their time, talent and money to the park. The volunteers also committed to regularly clean the park as well as spray for ticks and other harmful insects at no charge to the city. That organization eventually became the GBDL, which collected more than 500 signatures in support of the park before the project came to the attention of the city council.

In August, Boy Scout Daniel Hatcher and approximately 50 other volunteers braved the sweltering summer heat and cleared the dense vegetation. As a result of organizing the effort, Hatcher earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

The Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce became involved, promising a donation of $3,000 to the park and suggested the park be dedicated to well-known Gulf Breeze resident and dog lover Nancy Keyes, who passed away in 2001 and is also the namesake of the chamber's annual spring Pet Fest and Pet Walk. The Baskin-Robbins store at 205 Gulf Breeze Parkway recently donated $500 to the cause and the chamber's executive director Meg Peltier said proceeds from future Pet Fest/Walk events will be allocated to additional facilities for the park.

"We wanted to do something lasting that would be here for years and Keyes was a real dog lover," Peltier said. "The dog park gives pet fest a purpose - giving back to the park and the chamber."

For more information about GBDL, visit them online at www.gulfbreezedoglovers.org.