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Bella, at right, a golden doodle, makes a new friend at the Mashpee Dog Park.
MASHPEE – After years of planning and fundraising, the Mashpee Dog Park has finally opened.
Mashpee residents and people from neighboring towns having been coming to enjoy the park since it opened last Wednesday. The park is located on Ashumet Road off Route 130, across from Heritage Park.
Last Thursday, the day after the dog park opened, there were about a dozen dogs playing at the park in the morning hours, ranging in size from a 55-pound golden doodle named Bella, to a tiny 12-pound Yorkshire terrier named Lola.
Betty Kayes, who lives in Southport in Mashpee, came to the park with her dog, Clancy.
“I’m so happy that it’s open, finally. And I’m glad we have somewhere to bring our dogs, where they can socialize with each other,” Kayes said.
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Dogs, and children, were enjoying the new dog park in Mashpee.
Kayes said, Clancy, a five-year-old cockapoo that she adopted from a shelter in New Jersey, is enjoying the park.
“Clancy’s been looking forward to the park and he’s loving it so far,” she said.
Kayes said the ability for dogs to be off-leash is the best element.
“He loves being off leash. That’s the big thing. He says, ‘Free at last. Free at last,’” she said with a laugh.
The only thing missing, Kayes said, is a swimming pool for the dogs. “I think it’s awful on Cape Cod that we can’t take our dogs to the beach and let them swim,” she said. She suggested having a small section of a beach reserved for dogs
Linda Nikitas, a summer resident of Mashpee, was at the park with her daughter, Emma, and her dog, Bella, a six-year-old golden doodle, who at about 55 pounds was the largest dog at the park while they were there.
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A boxer known as “Cash” strikes a pose in the shade.
“My daughter loves to play with our dog and it gives her an opportunity to watch the dog run and throw the ball and get some exercise. They love it. It’s great,” Nikitas said.
She said she believes Bella is enjoying the park.
“She’s free to run and be with the other dogs and the people,” she said. “It’s great. They have the bags and the water for her to drink. Everything is here. You can sit and relax on the bench and talk to other people. It’s wonderful.”
Nearby was tiny Lola, a five-year-old Yorkshire terrier, owned by the McKenzie family of Sandwich. Sam McKenzie and his mother, Diane, also brought their three-year-old boxer, Cassius, known as “Cash.”
Sam said he heard about the park on Facebook. “We decided to check it out,” he said.
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Cash, a boxer, and Bella, a golden doodle, get to know each other.
He said he liked how big the park is and that there is water available for the dogs. He suggested an addition of an obstacle course for the dogs.
Susan Connor of Sandwich brought her two-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Pippin. “He loves to run,” she said.
Connor said dog parks are few and far between here, unlike at her winter home in Florida. “I know in Florida there are lots of dog parks but not here on Cape Cod, and especially not in Sandwich,” she said.
Connor said she likes several aspects of the park. “Lovely gravel to run around in, friendly dogs, a great place to come,” she said.
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Lola, a Yorkshire terrier, takes a rest in the arms of his owner, Diane McKenzie of Sandwich.
Three of the laborers from the Mashpee Department of Public Works who built the park, Dean Clarke, Josiah Gibson and Joe Slamin, were there on Thursday to install the final touch, the sign that lays out the rules of the park.
Clarke said it took them about four months to build the park and to see dogs enjoying the park, he said, “It’s a pleasure.”
Gibson said, “We went through everything from laying out the foundation to setting out all the seats and equipment. It’s so rewarding. I feel so accomplished. It’s great to see your whole project worked out.”
Gibson said he plans to bring his pit bull Athena to the park.
Slamin also said he plans to bring his dog, who, at 18 years old, will go in the “older dogs” section.
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