Second Cd'A dog park to be dedicated Sunday

COEUR d'ALENE - Two down, two to go.

The Kootenai County Dog Park Association is celebrating a leash cutting and dedication for its second dog park in Coeur d'Alene, making it a pair of pooch playlands the association has funded.

"There are a couple other places we have in mind where we'd like to see dog parks developed," said Bob MacDonald, KCDPA president, on the goal of adding two more Lake City parks, as well as parks in Rathdrum and Hayden. "Hopefully, we'll be able to keep it going."

The $10,500 park didn't cost the city a dime, except for some donated time and materials. It was paid for by the association's funds, which come from grants and donations. Dog Fancy magazine gave the group $5,000 in August for being the dog friendliest town in the nation, and that total all but solidified the new park's creation.

The roughly 1-acre spot will be near the fire helmet structure in the playground at Cherry Hill Park, which also houses a Coeur d'Alene Fire Department station.

Sunday's event will run from noon to 3 p.m. and feature a DJ, hot dogs and a doggie costume contest for its theme "Howl-O-Ween,"

A citywide 2008 Parks Master Plan study identified the need for off-leash dog parks as one of the top three requests within the community.

Nearly half of the households in Coeur d'Alene own a dog and some have more than one dog, the study found.