Mardi Paws Event to be held in Manassas Park Saturday

Who said pooches don’t know how to party?  The canines of Manassas Park and their two-legged companions are invited to come out and celebrate Mardi Paws Saturday at the Manassas Park Community Center.

 The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Manassas Park Community Center Aquatics director and Mardi Paws event planner Kim Baker said.

Sorry, no cats allowed.

 Mardi Paws is one of several dog-friendly monthly events hosted by the community center, Baker said.  Past events were Santa Paws, where dogs had their Christmas pictures taken with Santa and American Fido, a talent contest for local canines.

 Baker said four-legged Mardi Paws attendees must be on a leash and be up-to-date on all vaccinations including, Distemper, Parvo, and Rabies.

 Dogs in heat are not allowed at the event, as it may complicate matters and cause serious problems, according to parks and recreations officials.

 Dogs and their owners can expect to have a good time at Mardi Paws, she said.

 “We'll probably have some fun playing going on, it’s an opportunity for our community to come through the door and get with us and see what we’re trying to do, Baker said. “We want to get people here.”

 Mardi Paws and all  monthly canine events are purposed to raise money for the proposed off-leash dog park, Catherine Morretta, director of Manassas Park Parks and Recreation said.

 The goal right now is to have a temporary dog park installed by late spring, Morretta said.

 The temporary park would be near the Tremont Street entrance to the community center.

Keeping the dog park close to the building in its infancy will help officials monitor it and keep an eye on how it’s being used, Morretta said.

An off-leash dog park facility is strongly desired by Manassas Park  residents, according to recreation officials.

“We have such a large demand currently, to provide some sort of recreational amenity for this particular community. We have been able to repurpose some materials from our construction (of the community center) and fencing from our previous facility. (We have) some commitments from some outside third parties and businesses to provide some things like mulch and stone,” Morretta said. 

Even though the off-leash dog park is not yet open,  dogs are allowed in other Manassas Park parks as long as they are leashed, Morretta said.

 Some dog owners, however, have a “liberal interpretation” of what the term leashed means, she added.

 Local little league teams lease fields from Manassas Park—the same fields where some people have let their animals roam free.

 "Sometimes it’s an unpleasant experience for kids who play on a field,” Morretta said. “Not all dogs owners are good at picking up after their dogs,” Morretta said.

 This punctuates the need for an off-leash dog park.

 Funding for the park predominately comes through fundraising. So far about $10,000 has been raised.  Earnest efforts to get the dog park up and running have been going strong for about a year, Morretta said.  The dog park is expected to cost $50,000 to $60,000, she said.

 Officials said the temporary installation this spring is expected to generate interest and donations for the project.

 Parks and recreation will oversee the dog park in the beginning, but would like to transition the park into the hands of dog enthusiasts or other dog park user groups. This is the standard operation for most dog parks in the area, Baker said.

 But there will still be a level of oversight by parks and recreations, Morretta said.

 Local businesses, such as Speedy Green Car Wash in Manassas Park are supporting the proposed dog park, Morretta said.

 In addition to a car wash and motorcyle wash, the facility also has a dog wash and they advertise all the canine events happening at the community center, Morretta said.

 Additionally, Speedy Green has donated dog waste bins to the department of parks and recreation, Morretta said.

“That’s just an example of how our own community is supporting us,” Morretta said.

 The community donated all prizes given away at dog park raffles, Morretta said.

 The agency plans to continue its fundraising efforts with another event, dubbed, “The Amazing Dog Race” which is planned for March.