Barking mad: Dog park draws heat from neighbors

Linda and Brad Larson of Burnsville bought a house near Hanrehan Lake almost a decade ago. They plan on moving there when they retire next year. They chose the house because the area is so secluded and quiet. But now they worry that a new dog park nearby means they'll have to put up with dogs barking all day.

"We're on the lake. We hear people walking across the lake on the trails over there. We can hear them talking," said Linda Larson. "If it's a really still day, you can understand them, way across the lake."

Nor are they the only ones concerned.

There's vehement opposition from neighbors as an off-leash dog park is installed at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve this fall. The 3.5-acre area on the south side of Savage will allow dogs to get a little taste of the natural landscape that draws 70,000 people to Murphy-Hanrehan each year.

"It's nice to have your dog socialized," said Savage administrator Barry Stock. "But it's not just socialization for the dogs. It's socialization for the residents. It's a way to help build community."

The concern that the lake helps sound carry is echoed by many of the residents living along it.

Fewer than 10 seem to be vocal opponents of the project. But they include most of the residents who live closest to the planned park.

"Because of its proximity to the lake, the sound of barking dogs will be heard repeatedly all down the lake," read Burke's petition, which was signed by seven other residents. "We are not opposed to the dog park in general, just to the proposed location and the noise/disturbance it will bring."

Since then the same residents have sent several letters opposing the off-leash area to city and park officials.

City and park staff say that no other dog off-leash areas in the region have elicited complaints from neighbors, and they don't think that noise will be a problem once the park opens.

Savage opened its first dog park on the north side three years ago. Stock says it's been very popular with residents.

When officials decided that it was time for another park, they looked at several locations, and concluded that Murphy-Hanrehan was the best fit because the others were already heavily used.

Three Rivers already offers off-leash areas in seven of the other parks that it manages.

"When the request came in from the city initially, we looked at three different areas," said Mark Themig, who manages Scott County Parks for Three Rivers. Officials chose the current site because it has resources like bathrooms and was identified as an area for recreational development in the master plan.

"This area was probably a former agricultural field," Themig said. "It doesn't have high-quality natural resources."

Since the off-leash area was announced, city and park officials have received positive feedback as well as complaints. Many nearby dog owners are eager for the park to open.

The area was initially scheduled to open this month, but the development was delayed due to weather. Now a late-fall or early-winter opening is more likely.

If neighbors still have concerns, Themig said, Three Rivers would consider making modifications. But Themig does not believe that barking will be a serious issue.

"We have other sites where homes are actually much closer than these homes are going to be," he said, referring to other Three Rivers dog off-leash areas. "We don't have any complaints of dogs barking."

Cleary Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake is one nearby Three Rivers park with an off-leash area. At 28 acres, the dog park at Cleary Lake is eight times as large as the planned park at Murphy-Hanrehan, and it draws dog walkers all day, everyday.

Neighbors say they aren't disturbed by barking dogs.

"I rarely hear dogs from the dog park," said Sidney Pudwill, who lives down the street. Pudwill has been visiting the park regularly since she got a yellow Lab last year, but she says that even when she's in the park the dogs don't get too loud.

On a weekday evening, a dozen or so dogs were at Cleary Lake walking with their owners.

Chad Andrews, who has two English setters, has been coming down to Cleary Lake from Savage every afternoon for the past seven years.

"It's never really crazy-loud, even on a busy weekend," Andrews said. Although he expects to use the off-leash area at Murphy-Hanrehan occasionally, he said he still plans to come to Cleary Lake because the new park will be so much smaller.

"I think if it had been a bigger park it would've gotten a lot more enthusiasm."

Other dog owners at Cleary Lake that day agreed: Bigger is better. So it may turn out the off-leash area simply isn't big enough to draw crowds from far afield.