The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Dog park could be coming to Oxford

OxDog is looking to raise $16,500 to install the fence and gate for the park.

Lakota considers cutting 69 teachers
2/13/12
Budget includes $476B highway bill
2/13/12
Lack of land bank may impact funding for Butler County
2/13/12
Obama unveils $3.8T spending plan
2/13/12
President wants to boost U.S. manufacturing
2/13/12
> More headlines

By Oriana Pawlyk, Contributing Writer Updated 9:04 AM Monday, March 8, 2010

OXFORD — The Oxford Dog Owner’s Group, more popularly known as OxDog, is more than half way to its fundraising goal for a new dog park.

The group has been working for more than a year to establish a fenced-in, off-leash park for local Oxford pooches to play in a safe environment.

The park will be at an existing city park, Northside Park, on Morning Sun Road, south of the Best Western.

The group has been working with the city to maintain Northside Park, or as OxDog calls it “Northside Bark.”

The park will help exercise dogs, socialize them with other dogs, and allow pet owners to promote responsible pet ownership, according to the group.

“There are a lot of dog owners that live in this town and no off-leash area anywhere in town,” said Bill Levenderis, member of the Oxford Dog Owner’s Group.

“A lot people don’t have the land or area to give their dogs the exercise they need. Dogs also need socialization with other dogs, and a dog park accommodates those needs,” he said.

The park would be the first recreational dog park in Oxford. The nearest park is Wiggly Field at the VOA park in West Chester Twp., about 45 minutes from Oxford.

So far, the OxDog group has been working with the Oxford Parks and Recreation Department. The Service Department also has helped with water and concrete installations.

“The city council has also been supportive as they approved the resolution on April 21, 2009, to convert it to an off-leash area,” Levenderis said.

The OxDog group has set a goal to raise $16,500 to install the fence and gate and maintain the park. So far, they have raised $9,000 through their Web site, T-shirt sales and other events.

Anyone wishing to contribute may send a check to the Oxford Community Foundation, 52 Park Place East, Oxford, OH 45056 and designate “OxDOG” in the memo. Donations also are accepted online at  www.oxdog.org.

Share this article