Dog park a dream of one local dog lover

    It wasn’t long after Vanessa Cox moved to Imperial that she noticed the community didn’t have a dog park.
    Taking hers to a dog park in Lincoln was a regular part of her day. She moved to Imperial from Nebraska’s capital city, and said the idea to try to establish one here came quickly.
    “We went almost daily, sometimes two to three times a day in Lincoln,” she said.
    After living here about a year, Cox sees a real need for a dog park and believes the community would be better for it, and really use it.
    She’s started an effort to get a dog park established. Cox visited with City Administrator Tyler Pribbeno weeks ago about the best process to go about it. She’s made a presentation at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, too, and has plans for other club visits.
    Cox does not have a location on the radar yet—that’s one of the things she hopes a planning committee will help find and then present plans to the city’s park board.
    Specifically, a dog park is a fenced in, off leash area for dogs and their owners to exercise and socialize.
    It provides an opportunity to meet other dog lovers in town, enjoy walks around the park and play together with your dogs, she points out.
    There are no areas in Imperial for dogs to exercise off leash, she noted. In an info flyer she has posted throughout town, she adds that well-socialized dogs mean less flight risks, less bite risks and less pet re-homings.
    A dog park can also help dogs learn important socialization skills such as behaving around other dogs, being comfortable with new people and becoming accustomed to unfamiliar noises.
    Cox owns two border collies and an Australian shepherd/cattle dog mix. All are “high energy,” she said.
    While she lives in the country a few miles from Imperial, it’s difficult, she said, to find something to do with them. She often runs them near Enders Lake.
    “A dog park would make that so much easier,” she said.
    But she has the community in mind, too, as well as visitors here.
    “I just think it would be really good for the community,” she said, “and not just for our residents.”
    Noting many people travel with their dogs, it would also be nice for visitors to have a place for their dogs to get out and run, she said.
    Cox has people already interested in working on a committee with her, but encourages anyone interested in helping or contributing to contact her.
    An email has been established just for that purpose: dogparkimperial@gmail.com.
    A dog park isn’t just something to benefit dogs, she said. It’s good for the owners, too.
    In addition to the exercise provided for dogs, a dog park also encourages a more active lifestyle for their owners.
    Imperial is small enough, she noted, that a potential dog park would be in walking distance for most. Adding a path around the dog park perimeter would also be a good way to encourage owners to walk around with their dogs, getting in more movement for the owner.
    And another plus? It provides socialization for people and can be a fun outing for families, she believes.
    “It’s a good way to meet people. I made so many friends at the dog park in Lincoln,” she said.