Columbia DogPark grand opening on May 24 — people, pooches and pups welcome!

Come out between 10 a.m. and noon on May 24 — and don’t forget your pooches and pups — for the grand opening of Columbia DogPark, the first dog park in Columbia and only the second in all of Howard County.

Dog lovers have been, uh, hounding Columbia Association (CA) for some time about giving their canines a great place to run and play. Fortunately, they were barking up the right tree. CA listened and found a great spot: Columbia DogPark is located on 2.7 acres at 5901 Rivendell Lane, off Cedar Lane and adjacent to Columbia SportsPark in the village of Harper’s Choice.

The May 24 grand opening is a free opportunity for people and their dogs to see the park, which has a two-acre area for large dogs (more than 25 pounds) and 0.7 acres for small dogs (less than 25 pounds). CA staff will be on-site that day from 10 a.m. to noon for those interested in annual registration. The annual rate is $35 for CA residents and $40 for non-CA residents for a maximum of three dogs per household. One-day passes to Columbia DogPark also are available for $5 for CA residents and $6 for non-CA residents.

But there’s no need to wait until then. Pre-registration for Columbia DogPark is available at CA’s Open Space Management Division at 9450 Gerwig Lane in east Columbia. Dog owners will need to fill out an application and liability waiver form and will need to provide a copy of a current dog license and rabies certification. CA staff will also have a Columbia DogPark pre-registration table at Dog Day Afternoon, the popular annual event being held May 3 at Hopewell Park.

Registered users will be issued a Columbia DogPark Dog Tag for each registered dog, giving them access to a facility that is open from sunup to sundown, seven days a week, except for Thursday mornings, when it closes temporarily for maintenance. There is a maximum of two dogs per handler in the off-leash areas.

For more information on Columbia DogPark, including dog park etiquette and rules, please contact CA’s Open Space Management Division at 410-312-6330 or go to ColumbiaAssociation.org/DogPark.

About Columbia Association

Columbia Association (CA) is a nonprofit service corporation that manages Columbia, MD, a planned community that is home to approximately 100,000 people and several thousand businesses. Additional information about CA is available at ColumbiaAssociation.org.