Parks department asks residents register to use dog park

The Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry department is reminding residents to register their dogs before using the dog park at North Jefferson Recreation Area.

To use the dog park, pet owners must show parks staff a veterinarian's note stating their dogs are updated on their vaccines and have been spayed or neutered. Once their dogs are registered, pet owners are given codes to the lock at the North Jefferson dog park at 810 Sandstone Drive.

It cost $36 a year to use the park. Yearly fees are pro-rated, though, so those wishing to use the park for a year now would pay $3 per month for April though December.

Pet owners can register their dogs at The Linc, at 1299 Lafayette St.

"If you're registered and you've paid your fee and your dog is, for lack of a better term, legal to go in, then you're free to come and go as often as you like and use it whenever," Parks department Assistant Director JJ Gates said.

The Parks department has been using this registration system since the dog park opened more than 10 years ago, Gates said.

The registration is to ensure the dogs and pet owners are safe when using the dog park. When non-registered dogs use the park, Gates said, parks staff does not know if the pets have updated vaccinations or have been spayed or neutered.