New Dog Park Opened to Outside Communities

Word is spreading about Harrison's year-old dog park—so much so that for the right price the town has decided to open to park to people outside of the community.

Since officially opening last summer the park has been available to only Harrison residents for $20 per dog. After receiving a slew of phone calls over the last year from neighboring towns, especially Rye, Harrison Town Clerk Joseph Acocella requested this week that the park be opened to outsiders for $50 per dog.

"We've been inundated with phone calls, especially our neighbors from Rye, with requests to visit the park," Acocella said.

The town clerk also noted that the number of licensed dogs in Harrison has tripled since the park opened, and maybe allowing dogs from Rye will help the city increase their number of licensed dogs. In order to be permitted into the park all dogs must be licensed and be up to date with all required shots.

Harrison's fenced-in facility is located in on Crystal Street and doesn't require owners to leash their dogs. It includes two separate parks, one for larger and smaller dogs. There is also a fountain of water for the dogs to drink from.

In order to prevent overcrowding the town board limited the total number of outside permits to 100 for this year. There are currently about 200 dogs from Harrison permitted to visit the park, Acocella said.

The dog park was originally by then-high school student R.J. Suhre in 2009. It cost about $25,000 to build and was funded entirely through private donations. 

Upkeep for the park is funded through the annual fee charged to people using the park.