By Shruthika Pochampally
Staff Writer

When Coppell resident Tracy Allard realized that her dogs were not provided with all their needs in the Coppell area, she decided someone had to take action to improve living conditions for pets throughout the town.

The path to getting a dog park for Coppell was not, however, a simple project. The process first began in May 2012. Allard turned to social media and her community for assistance in getting the park proposal onto the city agenda. She worked her way towards getting heard by the Parks and Recreation Board, which agreed to give a recommendation to the City Council for a dog park.

This process continued through October 2012. Allard claims that though this movement for a dog park started off as a result of her efforts, the park was clearly something many Coppell residents wanted.

The Coppell City Council approved the $288,984.32 budget required to establish a dog park within MacArthur Park. The dog park has now been built, and the grand opening will be on Nov. 9.

Work towards getting the dog park approved included petitions on the Coppell Dog Park Facebook page and an emphasized proposal as a community based-movement. After the Parks and Recreation Board agreed to recommend the proposal to the City Council, Allard and the group began working on a series of presentations to City Council.

The plan was eventually approved in April, and went under construction by July.

“The process was long, however, it was fairly successful,” Allard said.

There have been three prior attempts to put forth a dog park plan, all of which failed.

“I used to take my three dogs to the Lewisville Railroad Parks on Sunday mornings, and that was a pain in the neck. I thought to myself ‘Why doesn’t Coppell have one?’, and that’s how it started,” Allard said.

One contributing factor to the inspiration needed to kick-start this movement was the fact that Irving, Dallas and Lewisville all had one or more dog parks, and Flower Mound and Carrollton were both contemplating building one. Coppell was the odd city out, and a dog park proved to be an important project for the city to begin.

Allard praises Coppell’s ability to congregate towards a good cause to make their city a better place.

“The whole process consisted of a number of park board and city council meetings. It was a community effort, since more people meant more interest,” Allard said. “On some occasions, we filled the entire Coppell Chamber in support of the dog park.”

The Coppell Dog Park Facebook page is now a hotspot for stray dog postings, and any information regarding the latest news pertaining to dogs.

“It’s a great community centered around dog lovers in the community, and it helps get word around about homeless animals to the Coppell Animal Services,” Allard said. “The Facebook page has turned into a community message board for dog lovers. Just this morning, a stray dog was found by my neighbor and we had pictures posted on the page that was seen by hundreds of people, and by noon the dog was back in its home.”

Junior Akshita Pillai looks forward to taking her dog to the new dog park.

“I haven’t seen the park yet, but I look forward to taking my dog there. I love the idea of a place for him to get the exercise he needs,” Pillai said.

Park operations manager John Elias is another fellow community member eager for the opening of the dog park.

“A dog park has been kinda out there for quite a while, and this last group were a dedicated group, I give them credit. They made it happen,” Elias said. “Other people have come forward for a dog park movement and tried to make it happen but they didn’t have the patience to stick with it.”

The park is simple, but effective, and the people who have made this park happen hope for it to become a place for dog owners and dogs to enjoy their time together.

“We built the dog park within MacArthur Park, on the same property. There’s not a whole lot of infrastructure involved in a dog park. It’s mainly just big enclosed yard, with a little bit of concrete,” Elias said.

Elias, being a dog owner himself, emphasizes the positive impact this dog park will have on the Coppell community.

“Right now, people have to take their dogs to ball fields and places like that to give their dogs space to run around,” Elias said. “I’m excited for the dog park because I have a dog, and I go to dog parks with my dog and I see the importance of having one. People need a space to take their dogs and take their leashes off so the dogs can be free.”

Community plays a large emphasis on the success of a proposal, as it is the entire town who ultimately chooses how it wants to better the town.

“I’ve definitely had assistance with all of this,” Allard said. “Elizabeth Hark, the owner of Blended Gardens Landscaping Company was extremely helpful with budgetary estimates, quotations for landscaping, and such, along with Sheila Powell and Donna Carlile, among other neighbors.”

The movement also had tons of aid from local businesses: Riverchase Animal Hospital, Coppell Taekwondo, along with the Sand Pointe Court neighborhood which played a significant role in terms of fundraising.

“It’s really really exciting to see all the hard work pay off, as this is all more than just a dog park, and dogs are members of our family,” Allard said.