Southcoast residents may not have to travel to Fall River or cross state lines into Newport to allow their dogs to run around in a fenced in area.

New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Dartmouth are in the planning stage for dog parks in the near future.

New Bedford

According to SouthCoastToday, a $250,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation out of Boston has paved the way for a dog park estimated to open in 2017 on Hathaway Boulevard. The park in New Bedford fills the need in an urban area, where there is limited space and smaller backyards in the city.

Manny Maciel, New Bedford’s animal control officer and a member of The Committee on Feasibility of Creating a Dog Park stated that open space can help a dog release its energy and relieve stress and aggression.

Dartmouth and Fairhaven

There are also dog parks in the planning process in Dartmouth and Fairhaven. However, there are downfalls.

The dog park in Dartmouth, which is planned to be located at the Dartmouth Regional Park & Trails complex on 443 Old Fall River Road, failed to receive bids to construct the park in the first round of bidding.

The latest round of bids exceeded the budget for the project. Director of development and grants for the town, Deborah Melino-Wender stated that we are in the process of re-evaluating.

The town of Dartmouth is still planning for a dog park in the near future.

A major site of interest for a dog park in Fairhaven is located on Long Road. However, there has been some concerns about the specific location of the site.

Those who are members of the Fairhaven Dog Park Committee would like a park to be built on land that backs up to Route 195.

That plan has been rejected by the Board of Public Works stating that the land will be reserved for storm debris. However, a site of 100 feet by 100 feet has been available on another spot on the property.

The location on Long Road is already dog-friendly. A lot of people take their dogs to the park and let them run around, but an area that is fenced-in with two separate areas for large and small dogs will serve as an important purpose to the community.

With additional reporting by Sal Lopez

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