First downtown dog park coming to Lakeland
LAKELAND, Fla. - The City of Lakeland will soon be getting its first downtown dog park.
It will be called, 'On Dog Time' and will be located across from the fire station in the middle of East Downtown.
Thomas McKay is moving to Lakeland from Pennsylvania, and he loves bringing his three-year-old Chihuahua-Terrier mix, 'Pig' to local parks.
"[Lakeland is] beautiful, and I've noticed the cleanliness and how they take care of everything out here. I thought it would be a great place to come to, and I thought my kids would love it out here," said Mckay. "We take [Pig] and we have a long leash, and he runs in big giant circles and people watch him. He likes to run."
Pig will enjoy 'On Dog Time.' It's a little more than a half acre and will have some cool amenities, including a dog water fountain, rinsing station, and dog sculptures.
"We've got a lot of residential growth in downtown with the various apartment complexes, and so those individuals right now have sidewalks and narrow strips of grass, and now they'll have a place to have their dogs off the leash and let them roam," said Kevin Cook, a spokesperson with the City of Lakeland.
This is another reason for McKay and Pig to enjoy downtown Lakeland.
"I think that's awesome. I think every park should be available to dogs," said McKay. "I'm glad they're putting a park out there that [Pig] can go there and play with other dogs and I can feel he's going to be alright."
The city hopes the dog park will be open by this summer.