Dog Lovers Hoping For Dog Park

If you're a dog in Tulsa, it's a rough life.  There's no place a dog can go in the city where it's legal without a leash.  The News On 6's Steve Berg reports dog-lovers are trying to change that.

There's been talk for years about starting a dog park.  Now, the plan is  finally getting some momentum. 

Mostly by accident, the Tulsa Arboretum near Woodward Park has become the city's unofficial dog park.  But, keep it quiet.

"There's no place for anyone to go to legally let your dogs off leash," said dog owner Kelly Carter.

Dog owners like Kelly Carter and Roseanne Bell say it's time that changed.

"Yes, we need a dog park.  We're the only city of this size without one," said Roseanne Bell.

Besides being more fun, they say their dogs can get as much exercise in 20 minutes off the leash as they can in 2 hours on a leash.

"Dogs need exercise.  They need to run.  And, a lot of us don't have big backyards," said Roseanne Bell.

"The dogs just have a blast, and it's nice to be able to talk to other dog owners while we're doing it," added Kelly Carter.

Now city park officials, the mayor's office, and private citizens are talking seriously about creating an official dog park.  The park board will take the matter up at their meeting next week.

"The dog park idea has been talked about for years in Tulsa.  And nothing's ever happened but it looks like it's really going to move forward now," said Roseanne Bell.

That beats the city's response earlier this month, when some of the dog owners at the arboretum got tickets for violating the leash law.

"I think it was a bit heavy-handed," said Roseanne Bell.

Bell says she'll take her chances though.

"I have legal representation if it comes to that," said Roseanne Bell.

Right now, the city is talking about several possible locations, including Johnson Park.  Some don't like that idea though because of concerns about crime.

The park board will meet at 8:30 Tuesday morning.  The meeting will be held at the Henthorne Community Center located at 4825 S. Quaker Avenue.