New Off-Leash Dog Park Open in East Clayton

The most anticipated park in the town's history opened this week to howls of delight.

As word spread that the new East Clayton Community Dog Park was ready, people with their pets began showing up, filling the area with sounds of fun and frolicking.

"I knew the dog park would be popular, but I underestimated how huge the interest would be," said Parks & Recreation Director Larry Bailey. "I think even now, with all the cold weather, we're going to have a lot of people out there. They're not going to wait for the days to get warmer or the weather to get better."

A formal grand opening ceremony is being planned for sometime in the spring.

The Department rushed workers over the last few weeks to finish the new park, largely due to the outpouring of interest that built up since the site at 2027 Glen Laurel Road was cleared and ready to be turned into the area's first off-leash dog park.

"Based on the numbers of people who have called or walked up to me over the last few months asking 'when will it be ready' and the people who have driven by to look at the progress, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a heavily used facility," Bailey said. "There are a lot of people in this community who don't have children, so we don't see them out at the other parks too often, but many of them have dogs, so I'm sure we'll be seeing them out here quite a bit."

The first dogs to run around the new park belonged to members of the citizen committee that helped plan the park and the Recreation Advisory Committee. A few town officials who worked closely with the committees joined them, and soon dozens of dogs were happily running around, some playing with a group of other dogs for the first time.

"It was a sort of 'Thank You' to them for all the work they put into making this a reality," Bailey said.

Bailey said he expects the park, which includes a picnic area, to become a gathering place for friends to chat while their dogs play together.

"We've tried to make this a people park, too, a place where people with like interests can get together and socialize," he said. "I believe it will have more of a social impact than a lot of people first thought."

The new park, which is open from sunup to sunset, should also have a positive impact on the town's image, he said, since few small towns have one.

"I believe our new amenities, such as the dog park and the new greenway along the Neuse River, will take Clayton to a new level," he said. "We have amenities that aren't typical of a small town. Our reputation as a place for active families should grow stronger."

The town already has parks scattered around town, a new 40-acre community park under construction across from the off-leash dog park and another new park along the Neuse River in the planning stages.

Bailey said visitors to the new dog park must follow a few simple rules, such as no sick or dangerous dogs, all dogs must be up-to-date on their shots and wear rabies tags, all dogs must be on a leash until they enter the park and, of course, no cats. For a complete list of rules, please click here.

The new park, located on a three-acre wooded tract, has many of the best features of dog parks in other areas, including separate areas for large and small dogs, an area for pet owners, a 15-space parking lot and space for special events.

For a look at the park's new brochure, please click here .