CDP Receives Abell Foundation Grant

The Friends of Canton Dog Park announced this week that they have received a grant from the Abell Foundation that will ensure that the park can continue to serve the growing number of pets and people who use the popular facility.

The $5,000 community development grant from the Baltimore-based foundation will be supplemented by an additional $500 provided by the Friends, says Gina Schwind, President of the Friends of Canton Dog Park. The funds will be used to hire landscape architect Amy Cooney, the designer of Thames Street Park, to develop a plan for completely renovating the park.

Since its opening in September 2002 the Dog Park, located at the corner of Clinton and S. Toone, has steadily increased in popularity.

"Five years ago when the park opened, I don't think anyone imagined the amount of use it would get," Schwind told the Canton Connection Online. "Every year more people come from all over the city. We even see people driving in from the county and out of state visitors bringing their dogs on vacation." Schwind points out that new pet-friendly homes and condos being built in the neighborhood will almost certainly increase the number of dogs and their human companions who use Baltimore's first dedicated dog park.

"Our little park is starting to show the effects of all this wear and desperately needs a face lift," says Schwind, who notes that the Friends are actively seeking community input on the design. Schwind encourages people to propose ideas that are low maintenance, cost efficent, long wearing, and pet- and environment friendly.

The Canton Dog Park's amenities include an open space where dogs can run and play in a legal “off-leash” area, a double gated perimeter fence divided into separate sections for large and smaller or older dogs, shade, nearby parking, routine maintenance, and a notice board for dog park rules and related information. According to the partnership agreement that governs the park, the City picks up the trash and maintains the grass outside the park, while the Friends -- a CCA subcommittee -- raise all maintenance funds ($2,500 annually) and cleans, sanitizes and repairs the facility.

For more information about the Friends of Canton Dog Park, visit their home page on the CCA website or e-mail President Gina Schwind. For more information about the Abell Foundation, visit their website.