New Dog Park Opens

There is a new dog park at the Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Circle, Asheville, which opened on March 1. The park is easily accessed from exit 44 off Rt. 40, from Patton Avenue downtown, or Smokey Park Highway from Candler.

The dog park was designed by Mac Stanley, the Program Coordinator at Buncombe County Recreation. He is the owner of two dogs, Labrador retrievers Boone and Trail. Stanley says “(The park) does not look big from the outside but once you are inside it feels humongous.” There are separate large and small play entrances, with double gates for safety. Play areas are divided into large and small also. The small dog area is a 3600 square foot enclosure. The large dog area is 10,000 square feet.

Amenities in the dog park include benches, poop bags, and trash cans. There are plans to install water fountains and landscaping, and mulch will be installed when most of the grass dies off. The dog park is open during the same hours as the Sports Park, from 8 am until currently, 6 pm. These are the rules set by Buncombe County:

Dogs must be: On a leash at all times until safely inside the fenced-in area. Vaccinated, licensed, and in good health. At least four months old to enter. Wearing a collar with ID tags. Under voice control of their human. Not aggressive.

Humans must: Be with dogs at all times. Remove dogs at the first sign of aggression. Pick up and dispose of poop in the provided trash cans. Owners are liable for any and all injuries caused by their dogs.

Not allowed: Pronged, spike, or choke collars. Aggressive dogs, aggressive humans, or dogs in heat. Unsupervised children 12 years of age or younger.

The dog park is part of the larger plan for the Enka Heritage Destination. It was approved for funding from grant funds from the Asheville Tourism Development Authority.