EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) - Eugene's first "small dog park" is open for business.
Completely paid for by private donations, the half-acre area is fenced off on the South end of the existing Amazon Dog Park.
The park has been in the planning process for about two years. Volunteers pursued the idea after a small dog named "Lola" was killed by a bigger dog at Amazon in 2009.
Community members took care of all of the maintenance costs and raised $10,000 dollars to pay for the fencing, gates and signage. Eugene Parks and Open Space has no plans to provide any financial support for the project due to budget constraints.
Small dog owners told NewsSource16 they are relieved to have the new space.
"I like it because it keeps the smaller dogs safe," said dog owner Marisa Rasor. Rasor owns two long haired Chihuahuas. Before the park, Rasor says she wouldn't consider bringing her dogs around larger dogs because of their size.
"Even if the bigger dogs want to play, they're so much bigger they could step on them and run them over."
Rasor said she thinks it would be nice to have a park solely dedicated to small dogs in the Eugene community as well.
"I know this is like a large dog park as well, but it would be cool to have one that's only for small dogs" she added.
Volunteers are still raising money for the park. In the coming months, they hope to have crews install a water line and metal artwork.
For more information on the project, visit the group's website at the following link: http://www.smalldogpark.com.
