Barnstable Dog Park Officially Opens With Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

HYANNIS – Cape Cod canines have a new place to socialize and play on the Mid-Cape.

The Town of Barnstable held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday to officially open the Barnstable Dog Park.

The first class dog park, located at 1431 Phinney’s Lane, is cost free and open to the public. The Stanton Foundation and the Friends of Barnstable Dog Parks provided funding for design and construction of the park.

The Stanton Foundation, located in Cambridge, encourages positive relationships between humans and dogs and provides grants to cities and towns throughout the state to support the creation of enclosed dog parks.

Town Manager Mark Ells held a public hearing on October 25 regarding park regulations, ending with a list of 30.

“Certainly the Town of Barnstable needs a resource like this and my predecessor and our Town Council heard that from our residents and they were able to put together a project that involved both local funds, volunteers, and a substantial grant from the Stanton Foundation,” explained Ells

“We’re excited about it. It’s here off of Phinney’s Lane right in the center of our community, and we hope all enjoy.”

Out of the entire list of draft regulations, the most notable are obvious and common to most dog parks.

Dogs must have current vaccinations and be licensed as required by law. Dogs must wear a collar at all times affixed with a current license tag. Alcohol, smoking or E-cigarettes are not allowed in the dog park. Dogs under the age of three months are not allowed in the park.

For those who may bring dogs that need training or are aggressive around other dogs, Senior Animal Control Officer Charles Lewis says that the park has been built in three separate, fenced off area.

“There’s a small dog area, there is an all dog area, and then there’s a training/questionable dog behavior area. So, if someone’s got a dog they know might be aggressive they can take it into the training area,” said Lewis.

Persons entering the park must be 16-years of age, while adult supervision is required for anybody younger than 16. Children under ten years old are not permitted inside the fenced area of the park.

The complete list of draft regulations for the Barnstable Dog Park can be found on the town’s website.

By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center