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Zephyrhills Lets The Dogs In At Meadowood

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 1, 2007

ZEPHYRHILLS - Residents no longer have to drive out of town to find a leash-free dog park.

Meadowood Paw Park, the city's first dog park, opened Saturday morning and was put to the test by local canines and their owners.

'We are so happy to see this,' Barb Livingston said as her Jack Russell terrier, Bailey, played. 'This is what they needed.'

The park, which sits on 6 acres at Meadowood Loop and Alston Avenue, has all the amenities a dog park should: fake fire hydrants, a dog wash, a dog drinking fountain and separate areas for large and small pooches.

Bailey, a rambunctious 2-year-old, was the first to discover she could fit under the fence dividing the large and small dogs. She did so despite her owner's pleas not to, forcing Livingston to walk around and into the large dog area to catch her.

Just as Livingston was walking up to catch her, though, Bailey ducked under the fence again.

'She's a little high-strung, but a good dog,' Livingston said. 'I wouldn't know what to do without her.'

Residents who showed up Saturday said the local park means more trips for their dogs to socialize. Before, they had to load up their canines and drive them to parks out of town.

For Chuck and Lelia Barnhardt, that meant the hour's drive to Al Lopez Park in Tampa. The long trip meant their whippets, Alex and Walter, got to frolic with other dogs only a few times a year.

Chuck Barnhardt said the extra socializing helps their dogs' behavior.

'Originally, we had problems with them when they were around small dogs,' he said. 'They're bred to be hunters, so they would chase anything small and furry. But we've socialized them, and they're getting better and better all the time.'

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic

@tampatrib.com.

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