Biloxi dog park good for pets and their owners | Biloxi | The Sun Herald

Biloxi has endorsed creating an off-lease dog park at a basebal field on Popp's Ferry Road.

JOHN FITZHUGH

It's a field of dreams for dogs, and their owners.

The city has endorsed converting a baseball field on Popp's Ferry Road into an off-leash dog park.

Dog owners have been using the ball field since October 2011, but now they can do so with the city's blessing.

David Daugherty has worked with Parks and Recreation Director Cheryl Bell to make the conversion happen.

"They kind of let us have it unofficially, but now she wants to dedicate it as an off-leash dog park," Daugherty said.

Bell toured the park recently and went over a checklist of work to be done including moving a water outlet closer to the field and providing a separate area for smaller dogs.

"They are good people. They keep it clean. They make sure people follow the rules," said Bell of the park's organizers.

"We self-police," said Daugherty speaking of how dog owners clean up after their pets and watch out for each other.

"Some dogs are not appropriate for off-leash parks; some breeds are more aggressive," he said. "Ninety percent of dogs are OK for this park."

Daugherty lives in the nearby Sunkist neighborhood with his dog, Daisy, a mixed-breed pointer.

"Daisy lets me know when it is time to go to the park," he said.

Cesar Diaz of Woolmarket sat

in the grass with his Husky, Loba, on a recent afternoon, and visited with a pair of beagles who stopped by for some attention.

"I come out here to take a minute to get away from everything," he said. "This is my therapy."

"They get along better than people," he said of the dogs.

"It's absolutely good for the dogs, but it's good for the people too," Daugherty said.

Most of the park's visitors are regulars, sitting on a row of benches along what used to be the first-base line of the ball field.

As a new dog arrives, all the other dogs rush over to the gate to greet them in that spacial way dogs do.

Daugherty thinks it will be the first public off-leash park on the Coast, and only the fourth in the state.

The website www.bringfido.com lists only three in the state, with the closest in Petal.

"It's a great place for the dogs," said Steve Burton of Biloxi, who was at the park with his German shepherd, Nala.

"Everyone's really pleased with the city" supporting the dog park, he said.

"I bring out my grandchildren, they call it the dog zoo."

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/07/05/4779945/biloxi-dog-park-good-for-pets.html

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