Dogs don’t have a park here to call their own
Murphy – “Where can we let our dogs run?” Robert Tunnell wants to know.
He and his partner walk their 7-year-old dog, Zoe, through their neighborhood, but she always has to be on a leash. Tunnell’s partner has twice attempted to let their Belgian Tervuren run in the fenced-in ball field at the Ranger Community Center, but both times was thwarted.
“I think it was a parks and recreation guy who complained that they had just mowed the other field, and there was a lot of dog poop over there.” Tunnell’s partner said.
“We always pick up our dog poop, so it wasn’t us.”
Tunnell’s main frustration is that Murphy has no place for dogs to run and play – safely. And they aren’t alone in creatively commandeering public spaces to allow their dogs some freedom.
Elizabeth Peters once let her dog, Jasper, run in the enclosed tennis courts near the Murphy River Walk, where she walks Jasper.
“Jazzy loves to run and chase things,” she said. The Peters do not have a fenced-in yard, so they walk Jasper, a rat terrier named after a great uncle who lived in Cookeville, Tenn., on a leash several times each day.
“It would be wonderful for the dogs to have a place to run, run, run,” she said while petting Jasper, who was eager to continue his walk.
However, building a dog park dedicated to Zoe, Jasper and all their Murphy dog friends is not a simple undertaking. Former mayor Rick Ramsey, a big supporter of the dog park, began research under his administration, and new Mayor Tim Radford is happy to pick up the ball.
Yet, that ball is proving to be expensive.
“The quote on the fence is approximately $16,000, so I want to make sure it is a feasible project,” Radford said.
At the same time, he believes the investment will offer deep returns.
“Dog parks make communities safer by offering secure areas for dogs to play and socialize,” Radford said, adding that he has been approached by several town residents and visitors telling him that building such a thing would add value to the town.
Radford is investigating the specific costs as well as ways to pay for a Murphy Dog Park. He said much of the funding “could be donated by community partners,” but a dog park isn’t as simple as a secure fence. Radford has put a good deal of thought into it.
“The area would need benches, picnic tables under some type of shelter and waste management,” he said.
When the mayor does approach town council members about a dog park, he hopes they will “see if it would be a positive addition to our community.” Until that happens, local dogs and their owners will continue creating safe spaces for their pets to run.