Visionaries May See. Leaders Must Decide.
CitySide Apartments Central Bark 700 Cocoanut Avenue, Sarasota
941.787.3333
Deputy Kotfila Memorial Dog Park 705 Raymond Street, Tampa. Under the shade of the Selmon Expressway.
THERE ARE 84 MILLION PETS in house- holds throughout the country. To help create a model for pet-friendlier communi- ties, Mars Petcare developed “Better Cities for Pets.” The pilot program launched earlier this year in Franklin, Tennessee.
Okaloosa County Considers Making Their Beaches Dog-Friendly. Opening a portion of beaches to dogs is “Niche tourism we can attract, particularly out of season,” said Martin Owen, a tourism industry consultant. “A lot of dog owners tend to like traveling with their dogs. Dog-friendly beaches lead to phenomenal business.” During an Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council meeting earlier this year, Owen said that neighboring areas like St. George Island in Franklin County, east of Panama City, are “eating our lunch,” economically speaking by allowing people to bring their dogs to its beaches at certain times.
What does the ideal dog-friendly city
look like? Cities that support their local shelters, homes, businesses and parks by building the right partnerships, working with businesses and engaging local govern- ments to better understand how to improve communities for pets and their families. In a survey, 82 percent of United States’ mayors surveyed believed that pet-friendly amenities have an overall positive image on their community. However, 66 percent of
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those mayors surveyed are unaware of, or don’t have pet-friendly policies in place for public spaces As more people move into urban
areas, and more young adults are choosing to have pets over children, it’s clear that the role pets are playing in people’s daily lives continues to evolve. It is no longer considered a passing fad. Living, playing and traveling with our dogs has become a lifestyle that is here to stay. SARASOTA, FLORIDA The developers of CitySide Luxury
Apartments, in the historic Rosemary District in downtown Sarasota, have taken dog-friendly to new heights. They designed a private on-site off-leash dog park for their residents. Complete with water fountains and pet stations, Central Bark is a bone- shaped park that is completely fenced in and beautifully landscaped. Every Thursday, CitySide hosts a Yappy Hour in Central Bark for their residents and dogs. TAMPA, FLORIDA On June 24, 2017, a new dog park in
the Channelside district of downtown Tampa was dedicated to the life of a deputy who was killed in the line of duty in March 2016. Deputy John Kotfila, Jr. was hit and killed by a wrong-way driver on the Selmon Expressway. Kotfila intentionally swerved into the path of the wrong-way vehicle to protect another car from being struck. The dedication of the Deputy Kotfila
Memorial Dog Park also recognized Kotfila’s close relationship with his German
Shepherd Dog, Dexter. “His dog was his life,” said John Kotfila, Sr. “He loved his family, but the dog was a big part of his life. Everyone who knew him knew that he would show with his dog. Dexter went everywhere with John.”
U
“We can gauge how much a city is growing by the number of people out walking their dogs,”
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
Deputy Kotfila Memorial Dog Park: Lucy, a Puggle (top) and Lola, an American Bulldog (bottom).
Photographs by Jacqui Silla. Summer/Fall 2017 THE NEW BARKER 53
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