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Jackson Goes To The Dogs As New Dog Park Opens
By Lauren Puglisi
 | | --Photos By Lauren Puglisi Dogs of all shapes and sizes visited the grand opening of Johnson Park's firstever dog park this Saturday morning. Above, Leigh Kwiatkowsy (right) and Sara Naperkowski brought their dogs Skip and Rocky. At right, Scott McFadden and Vicky Carney visited Jackson's dog park with their dogs for the grand opening celebration as well. For more photos from this event, visit our photo galleries at www.micromediapubs. com. |
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Although the sun didn't come out Saturday in Jackson, that didn't stop the dogs in town from coming out to celebrate the opening of the first-ever dog park in Johnson Park.
When Mayor Mark Seda and the Town Council decided to transform an empty area in Johnson Park into two large gated spaces for an unleashed dog park, they wanted to create a fun and safe place for dog owners to take their pets in town.
To celebrate the grand opening, McGruff the Crime Dog joined Seda for an officialribbon cutting ceremony before all dogs and their owners were invited to enter the park.
Business Administrator Phil Del Turco said plans towards building the dog park began last year.
"This area wasn't being utilized before, so we decided to put it to use. Making the dog park was extremely cost effective because the space was already here, we just needed to add seed and section off the area with gating," Del Turco said.
Seda said members of the township's public works, police and recreation departments will join forces with animal control officersto patrol the park.
"Instead of banning dogs completely from the parks, it is in the best interest of all to provide a facility which will fulfillthe needs of both the dog owner and the general public," Seda said. "The intent is for residents to take care and clean up after their dogs. We will use trial and error to respond to different issues in the park when they arise."
Animal Control OfficerJoe Sbano said dog owners should use their best judgment on how well their dogs get along with other animals when bringing them to the park.
"We will be stopping by on occasion throughout the day to make sure everything is going smoothly at the park," Sbano said.
Director of Recreation, Steven Eisenstein, said the recreation department would also take part in monitoring the park.
"Dog parks have recently been growing in popularity and I believe this is something that is needed in every town," Eisenstein said.
The dog park is divided into two areas, one portion for large dogs and a second area fully devoted to smaller dogs.
One thing that the large crowd of people seemed to agree on Saturday morning was how the park exceeded their expectations when it came to size.
"This is a great area for owners to take their dogs, especially for those that live in apartments that don't have yards," Denise Gallicchio said.
Lannie Johnson said the open area for small dogs was much larger than the space at Ocean County Park.
"I live very close so I will be coming here a lot, I'm sure, because my dog and I love it. It is good to know that dog owners have somewhere that their dog looks forward to going," Johnson said as she walked her friendly dog, The Mayor. "We call him the Mayor because he meets and greats everyone."
Leigh Kwiatkowsky said she was happy Jackson Township opened its own dog park so she no longer had to travel to finda place to allow her dog to run free.
"We used to go to Ocean County Park before this opened, but now we can come here more often. The dogs are happy and they are loving it," Kwiatkowsky said.
Fred Rasiewicz, the Director of the Public Works Department, smiled as he watched the groups of dogs running freely in the park. He said he was happy to see such a great crowd turn out for the opening.
McGruff the Crime Dog and Seda stayed at the park after the ceremony to take pictures with families and to answer questions about the park's big opening.
Seda said some of the most important rules dog owners must follow when utilizing the park is to make sure all dogs are leashed outside of the dog park boundaries, to display current licenses on all dogs, and to clean up after their dogs.
He also noted that male dogs must be neutered to enter the park and female dogs in heat will not be permitted.
Jackson's new dog park is located at Johnson Park on Kierych Memorial Drive, at the intersection of South Cooks Bridge Road and Manhattan Street.
Residents interested in learning further information about rules and regulations for the dog park should call Jackson Township Department of Recreation at 732-928-1260.
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