Have you ever seen a Chihuahua chase a Great Dane?
In an effort to create peace and harmony among Clifton Park’s four-legged resident, town board members Scott Hughes and Linda Walowit proposed creating a designated area in the Mary Jane Row Dog Park for smaller breeds.
Sometimes when you get the bigger dogs in there it can be a little nerve-wracking for the smaller ones, and I was very sensitive to that because my little girl has a Chihuahua she’s 5 pounds,` said Hughes.
`It occurred to me that while we’re over [at the park] she would probably be very intimidated by the Rottweiler or the German Shepherd,` said Hughes.
Walowit suggested that the town create a separate running area for smaller dogs so that they would be isolated from larger dogs.
`Now you have two individual enclosed spaces where residents get to pick where they want their dog to be able to run,` said Hughes, adding that it makes the park a safer, better option for owners and dogs. `Now there’s a situation where it’s a really good fit for everyone, and those upgrades just happened in the past couple of days.`
According to Mike Handerhan, superintendent of the Buildings and Grounds Department in Clifton Park, the area for smaller dogs measures 50-by-70 feet.
According to Walowit, the community had expressed some interest in having a smaller area of the park devoted to smaller dogs.
`There were sometimes issues [at the park],` said Walowit.
She said people were telling her they use the park, but sometimes have to wait until there aren’t any other larger dogs to use it.
`We looked at the budget, and we still had money on that line, so we decided to create a park for the best friends who were little,` said Walowit.
She said that both of their dog parks have been well-received by residents. There is also Kinns Road Park, where dogs can go off-leash at certain times of day.
`[You can] turn your dog loose, and they can run free and socialize with one another,` said Walowit.
She noted that the small dog park is also a `great area` for socialization of puppies.
Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said that they received some feedback over time from people seeking improvements to the parks.
`We developed a plan, and the Town Board approved that plan. We were able to see those improvements recently, but we’ve steadily made improvements since the park has been in place, and we’re hopeful that this last round of upgrades will ensure a positive experience for everyone that uses the park,` said Barrett.
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