Since 1979, when the first dog park opened in Berkeley, California, there has been a dog park boom in the United States. And no wonder. Approximately 60% of U.S. households own a pet, and 38% of those pets are dogs. That makes for a lot of people looking to exercise and socialize their pets. Taking your little (or not so little) pup to the local dog park can be a great activity, for your pet and the entire family.

Pet owners and non-pet owners alike can benefit from a dog park in their community. By providing contained areas where dogs can be off leash, dog parks can reduce the likelihood of dogs roaming neighborhood sidewalks and streets. And because dog parks are usually equipped with dog waste stations, pick-up bags, and trash receptacles with signage and instructions for pet owners, they can make for cleaner grassy areas and sidewalks intended for people. (Nothing ruins a fun game of Frisbee faster than an unfortunate misstep.) A cleaner, friendlier neighborhood encourages people to come out of their houses and spend time with neighbors and local business owners. And a strong community presence can make for a much safer community and more aware community members.

Besides benefiting the community, dog parks are wonderful for the dogs themselves and promote a healthy and safe pet population. Proper exercise is just as important for dogs as it is for people. A good 30-minute run around the park a few times a week is a great way to help your pet maintain a healthy weight. Most dog parks require proof of a rabies vaccination, so you can ensure that your pet is not only staying healthy, but he is playing with other healthy dogs who visit their vet regularly. Taking your dog to play with other dogs and humans also enables you to socialize your pet. Proper socialization reduces the worry when you to take your dog around town, near strangers, children, and other animals. And, of course, it’s no secret that happy dogs make for happy dog owners.

Things to consider when planning a dog park:

When designing and planning a dog park installation, there are several important aspects to consider.

1. Available Space:
One of the first things a planner should determine is the amount of space to dedicate to the dog park. There should be enough room to allow dogs to run around and play in groups. Utilizing as much space as possible allows dogs to benefit from the park more fully. When determining the park size, consider how busy the park will get on a beautiful weekend day. Know the size of your community and plan accordingly. The more space the better, but there may be limitations based on cost, location, or government rules and regulations. Building a dog park that is too small or crowds easily can create an unsafe or undesirable environment for  pets and pet owners. The more crowded the space, the more likely dogs will run into one another, and possibly people, when playing.

2. Dog Size:
Creating separate areas of the dog park for larger and smaller dogs is ideal. Dog sizes can range drastically, from two pounds to nearly 200 pounds. Allowing a two-pound dog to run around with 200-pound dogs could result in serious injury for the smaller dog. Providing a separate area for small dogs allows them to run and play “like the big dogs” but without the risk of being hurt, scared, or intimidated. You want dogs of all types to enjoy the park, so plan accordingly.

3. Safety While Entering and Exiting:
Entering and exiting a dog park is probably when people encounter the most confusion and stress. Making the transition into and out of the park as easy as possible can contribute greatly to a dog park’s success. By creating a separately fenced and gated area for entering and exiting, you can diffuse some of the stress, confusion, and excitement dogs experience when arriving at the park. Being able to unleash dogs in a fenced area separate from the main play space, where other animals would sniff and try to play, makes things easier for both the dog and dog owner. Such an area also allows owners to re-leash their dogs more easily when play time has ended. Using self-latching gates in these areas can ensure that gates are not left open.

4. Waste:
Waste stations are an important feature of any dog park. These stations should include signage reminding pet owners to clean up after their pets, bags for clean up, and a securely covered trash can to contain waste. Waste stations make clean up easy and more likely.

5. Furnishings & Fun:
Having fun is the primary reason pet owners take their pups to the dog park. There are a wide variety of features that can be permanently installed in your dog park to add interest, including jumping hoops, pet mirrors, decorative fire hydrants, and much more. But don’t forget the human companions when planning a dog park in your area. A few picnic tables and benches can make a big difference for pet owners.

The Eagle Play Structures team has installed dog parks all over the Mid-Atlantic region. If you are interested in installing a dog park in your community, contact an Eagle Play Structures representative today to see how we can create a fun place for dogs and dog owners alike. If you are outside of the Mid-Atlantic region, be sure to visit our online store at www.eagleplaycomponents.com.

The Eagle Play Structures team was able to enhance the Foxborough neighborhood site by expanding its existing playground, replacing the original, single play structure with a new and improved play structure, introducing swings for added enjoyment, and providing park amenities.

Foxborough Site

Rotationally-molded Wave Climb

Double-bay Swing Set

The CPSC published its Handbook of Public Playground Safety in 1981. It quickly became the “standard” by which manufacturers, public interest groups, and government agencies designed and/or evaluated the safety of public playground equipment. The CPSC’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety was written primarily as a tool for operators of public playgrounds, not as a set of  technical specifications for manufacturers. The document provides fundamental safety information in an effort to categorize the most dangerous playground safety issues. It is an essential tool in evaluating the safety of one’s playground environment. The CPSC’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety is available online in .PDF format.

Since the appearance of the CPSC’s Handbook, the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) has issued its “Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use” (ASTM F1487). This active standard provides technical specifications for playground manufacturers to use in designing play equipment for the public sector.

According to Perry Perrett, a Certified Playground Safety Inspector recognized by the National Parks and Recreation’s Playground Safety Institute, “Most playgrounds in existence simply do no meet all the guidelines set forth by CPSC and ASTM. If a playground cannot be totally replaced with new equipment and built to the latest guidelines, an owner has a duty to identify and eliminate the most serious hazards.” There are a variety of conditions on playgrounds that can cause injuries. Some are obvious and others are more subtle. “Serious hazards” are classified as those causing permanent disability or death, like those described in the sections below.

Inadequate Safety Surfacing

According to the CPSC, more than 70% of injuries reported on playgrounds are from falls from equipment. It is essential to have suitable, resilient material underneath and around all playground equipment. The largest playground-related jury damage award in the U.S. went to a child and his family in Washington, D.C., who were awarded $14.4 million in compensation for injuries the child sustained falling from equipment placed over blacktop. Many resilient surfacing materials are available, ranging from simple wood chips to cast-in-place-urethane matting and interlocking rubber tiles.

Examples of Inadequate Safety Surfacing:

Examples of Adequate Safety Surfacing:

Poured-in-place urethane surfacing

Wood Carpet

Head Entrapments

Head entrapments are very common on older equipment. A preschool-aged child’s head is usually wider than his shoulders. When a child accidentally slips through a small opening, he/she often does so feet-first in what is essentially a free fall. If the child’s head cannot fit through an opening, the child’s entire body weight is placed on his neck, potentially resulting in strangulation or serious, permanent spinal injuries or brain damage. Both the CPSC and ASTM recommend that no openings on playground equipment, except those in contact with the ground, be between 3.5 and 9 inches wide (diameter).

Examples of Head Entrapment Hazards:

Pinch and Crush Points

Pinch and crush points occur when two opposing moving parts, such as swinging bridge planks or bridge-to-deck connections, have gaps where fingers, hands, and feet can fit into openings. When other equipment users walk across the bridge, such gaps can close with terrific force, causing severe injuries.

Examples of Pinch and Crush Points:

Protrusions

Protrusions include bolt ends, pipe ends, handgrips, etc., that protrude from equipment. When attached to a moving part, such as a spring animal, these protrusions can impale a child’s skull or eye socket and cause serious abrasions and lacerations.

Examples of Protrusions:

Handles on spring animals

Moving-Object Impact Injuries

Virtually every playground manufacturer has recalled board-type swings (swings that make use of heavy, animal forms used as swinging devices; trapeze bars; swinging metal rings; conventional seesaws; and the like), due to the danger of permanent bodily injury from their impact with equipment users and/or bystanders.

Improperly Spaced Equipment

A well-designed playground is laid out to permit a safe flow of activity from one feature to another. The CPSC and ASTM publish a variety of spacing guidelines for all types of play equipment. Such spacing recommendations address how close various pieces of play equipment can be to one another, as well as the width and depth of the safety surface required for various components.

Examples of Improperly Spaced Equipment:

“Common sense goes a long way in helping most people identify the most serious playground hazards,” says Perrett.  Written in laymen’s terms, the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety is full of easy-to-read data and numerous illustrations that walk readers through a playground safety evaluation. Many companies, including Mid-Atlantic Sports, LLC, offer Certified Playground Safety Inspections to help playground owners assess the safety of their playgrounds.

One of the most common mistakes property owners and managers make is purchasing single-family, residential play equipment for use in a public playground. Residential play equipment is not designed with the requisite spacing, swing configurations, or multitude of other clearances and limitations proven safest for public play settings.

Most commercial play equipment is now modular. It can be designed to meet a facility’s immediate budget and be expanded at a later date. Unfortunately, not all commercial play structures on the market are designed in compliance with CPSC and ASTM guidelines. It is essential to seek a reputable manufacturer and contractor for your job. And be sure the contract states that the installation must comply with CPSC and ASTM guidelines.

Whether or not a new play structure is in your plans, it is imperative to inspect your current playground to immediately identify and address serious safety hazards.

Mid-Atlantic Sports, LLC, is a playground manufacturer and contractor based in Ijamsville, Maryland. It manufacturers Eagle Play Structures commercial playground equipment using metal, Poly Sleeve, and recycled plastic models.  Mid-Atlantic Sports also installs pavilions; site amenities; and tennis, basketball, and game courts.  For additional information, call 1-800-609-9966.

Tilford C. Jones / President, Sport Systems

Mid-Atlantic Sports, LLC, recently installed one of its Eagle Play Structures commercial playgrounds at the Avonlea Community Center in South Riding, VA. The new Avonlea Community Center playground features a composite structure with 48” x 48” decks,  an ADA transfer station, a rock climb, play panels, a roto-molded roof, two play slides, and a curved tube slide. To enhance the play value of the playground, the Eagle Play Structures team added several ground-level play components including spring riders,  an alligator, and a play school bus. The new playground also features a commercial swing set with belt seats and a tot bucket seat, as well as a number of site amenities including park benches and trash cans.  The Avonlea community will certainly get many years of enjoyment and creative play from its new playground.

“We continue to make  investments in the technologies that will move Eagle Play Structures forward, and this website is no exception,” said Perry Perret, Eagle Play Structures General Manager.  “The site’s new look, feel, and usability are now very much aligned with our product lines.”