Upper Moreland Dog Park Set to Open May 19

The Upper Moreland Parks and Recreation Department will hold a grand opening for the township’s first dog park on May 19.

The event will take place at 8 a.m. at the Upper Moreland Dog Park site, located inside , 3530 Mill Road in Hatboro.

“I am very pleased with the off-leash dog park and am hopeful the residents will be too, as well as their pets,” Pat Stasio, the township’s Parks and Recreation director said in a correspondence.

In the months prior to the official opening of the dog park, residents were allowed to walk their dogs in that part of Mill Creek Park on a leash. And, before that, no dogs were allowed in any township park.

“While the park took many years to complete for various reasons, the park itself turned out much better than I had imagined,” Stasio said.

According to a , the project started when the civic organization Paw Prints DOG (Dog Owners Group) came to the township with the dog park request in 2003.

“This is a long awaited amenity to the UM Parks system” Judy Lamb of Paw Prints DOG said in a correspondence. “One that many owners and their dogs are happy to see come to fruition!”

What’s in Store for Dogs and their Owners?

With the opening of the Upper Moreland Dog Park this weekend, Stasio said that the township is excited to provide the off-leash area to residents.

“The park is almost one acre in size and has an area for dogs 25 pounds and under and a separate area for dogs over 25 pounds,” he said.

Once residents enter the dog park, they will see newly planted trees, “mutt-mutt stations to clean up after the dogs; benches, as well as other park attractions.

One such attraction will include the Upper Moreland Police Benevolent Association's stone monument dedicated to the township’s police K9 unit, and its fallen members.

In addition to a rustic look, which includes the use of split-rail perimeter fencing, the dog park will also feature a limestone-grit material at the entrance of the two parks. The material will extend from Mill Creek Park and stop right before the grassy sections of the dog park areas.

According to Stasio, this limestone-grit entranceway is a unique feature to the dog park.

“The reason is that dog parks are typically muddy in the areas of entrance and exit,” Stasio said, explaining the entranceway’s high traffic. “We are hoping to decrease the wear in those areas with the limestone grit material.”

Stasio said that he is interested in getting feedback from dog park users, especially their thoughts on the entrance and exit ways.

“I believe the Township has constructed a wonderful off-leash area for pooches and am hopeful the residents find their experience at the dog park to be very rewarding for the pets and themselves,” Stasio said.