Morro Bay worked hard to get a dog park. San Luis Obispo can, too

John McKenzie’s letter (“Should SLO go to the dogs?” Aug. 4) encouraging SLO to develop a fenced, off-leash dog park is spot on. We at Morro Bay Pups strongly endorse that effort. MBPs was organized 15 years ago by Morro Bay citizens who wanted a fenced, off-leash dog park. We visited several potential sites, coordinated with the Recreation/Parks director, kept our dreams alive and fresh at City Council meetings, attended a major fundraising seminar put on by professionals in that field, developed fliers and held several fundraisers. It all came together after a lot of hard work.

Through significant donations from individuals and businesses, we had synergy between local citizens and city officials. We raised over $50,000. No taxpayer money was used. The need is clearly there in SLO and what must occur is for dog lovers to organize and move forward.

Mr. McKenzie is correct that Cambria and Templeton have dog parks, as do Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Cayucos; Los Osos is currently in the planning phase.

Please visit our website, www.morrobaypups.org, or contact me via email: marystallard00@gmail.com. Anyone is invited to our dog park located in Del Mar Park in north Morro Bay to see what we were able to accomplish.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Morro Bay worked hard to get a dog park. San Luis Obispo can, too."