By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A perfect summertime activity for dog owners is getting out of the house and taking those good boys or girls out to the dog park.
Friends of the Animal Shelters Melanie Barnes says though if you're going to head to the dog park, you should know the rules of the park before you do.
"Make sure you understand what those liabilities and responsibilities are," Barnes tells guest host on the KFEQ Hotline Brent Martin. "If you need to get online there are both rules and recommendations on StJosephMo.gov and you can just search dog park, honestly I just went to Google and put in St. Joseph, Missouri dog park."
Barnes says you should make sure dogs are properly vaccinated before going to a dog park for the protection of themselves as well as other pets.
Corby Dog Park in St. Joseph has already welcomed many dogs to the exclusive member only dog park, and you can still sign up to be a member.
Barnes says the rules at Corby Dog Park are simply for the safety of not only people's pets, but the pet owners themselves.
"You don't know, and maybe you do know, most people know how their pets will respond, but at the same time if there's a pet there that maybe they're not responding well to, or things are escalating you know we're getting hyperexcitable, or maybe even starting to show mild signs of aggression," Barnes explains. "An owner needs to understand what those signs look like."
To become a member pet owners must have proof of vaccination records and proof the dog has been spayed or neutered.
Registered dogs have been flooding to the park and enjoying the nice weather, the city park also has a walking trail and even one special amenity.
Barnes says Corby also has a special area for those with smaller dogs.
"So, the small dogs don't get run over by the large dogs, or to be honest sometimes those small dogs have big dog attitudes in a small dog body and can instigate some of that stuff," Barnes says. "Now not all, I don't want to make anyone upset, but at the same time there is a seperate area for small dogs if they want to run around and play without being stepped on or interacting with the large dogs."
Barnes says to register to bring your dog to the Corby Dog Park you can find the rules online on the city of St. Joseph website.