about the portsmouth Dog Park

For the safety and enjoyment of all who visit the Portsmouth Dog Park, dog owners, keepers, guardian and visitors must adhere to the following rules:

1. Only dogs that are currently vaccinated for rabies and licensed in the town in which they reside are allowed to enter the park.

2. No dog under 6 months old may enter the park, and all dogs  must have received at least  their first rabies shot 30 days before entering the park.

3. All dogs must be spayed/neutered and free from disease and internal parasites.

4. All dogs must be removed from the park by their handler at the first sign of aggression.

5. All dogs must be leashed while entering and exiting the park.

6. No more than 3 dogs may be brought into the park by any one handler at any time. 

7. Dogs must be under the handler’s control at all times.

8. The use of pinch, choke or electronic collars within the park is prohibited.

9. No dog that has been legally declared vicious is allowed in the park.

10. No food is allowed in the park.

11. The park is open from dawn to dusk and closed during maintenance.

12. The park is for recreational use only.

13. All dog bites must be promptly reported to the Portsmouth Police/Animal Control.

14. Handlers are required to clean up after their dogs and properly dispose of all waste, and to repair any damage caused by their dogs.

15. The use of alcohol and/or tobacco is prohibited.

16. No children under the age of 16 may enter the park unless under adult supervision.

17. No attendant on duty. All users of the park do so at their own risk. All owners, handlers and users of the park agree to release and hold the Town of Portsmouth and its various departments, employees, volunteers and agents harmless from any and all liability, claims, and/or damages for personal injury, property damage, or injury to their pet(s). 

18. The Portsmouth Police Department and Animal Control reserve the right to ban any owner, handler or dog from the park for violation of these rules.

19. Violation of any of these rules is punishable by a fine of $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation, and $300 for a third or any subsequent violation. 

On March 31, 2013, Oscar, a blind 15 year old Lhasa Apso, owned by Bunny Miller in Portsmouth, was attacked and killed outside of her townhouse by a neighbor’s dog that was running loose.  A vicious dog hearing was held a week later and sanctions imposed upon the attacking dog and his owners, but Mrs. Miller remained stunned by her senseless loss and Oscar’s unwarranted suffering. In trying to cope with the nightmare and wanting something positive to come from Oscar’s death, she immediately thought of the idea of a local dog park, since Oscar had enjoyed every dog park he’d visited. She petitioned the Portsmouth Town Council for permission to form a Planning Committee to research and establish a volunteer-based, 100% community-funded dog park within Portsmouth. The Council voted on June 10th to allow this project to begin.

Volunteer members came forward and the Portsmouth Dog Park Planning Committee began meeting in July. They soon adopted a mission statement and started researching dog parks in the northeast and across the country for best practices.

Selecting a site for the Dog Park proved difficult for several reasons: the Town does not own a good deal of open space that is not already heavily used for recreation; and much of that is located in residential areas; or the open space is privately or government owned; or it has historic significance.

Because of the mandate to raise all the necessary funds for building the dog park, the Committee was looking at open, flat, accessible, and easily fenced areas. As opposition from abutting residents began to surface wherever they looked, the Committee resolved to broaden its focus to include areas that would be less negatively impacted by a dog park and the daily traffic that it would attract. They also hoped to locate it as close to the center of Town as possible. This shift in focus led to Melville Park off West Main Road (Rt. 114).

The Melville Park Committee agreed to support the location of the Dog Park at an unused portion of the park that is high and dry, but heavily over-grown, near the entrance of the Park. It would take considerably more resources and time to develop this site, but the Dog Park Committee and the Town Council members felt that it was the most desirable location. It was centrally located on land donated to the Town by the US Department of the Interior for passive recreational purposes. Having the dog park located there would increase awareness of Melville Park itself as well as the neighboring campground. 

One problem was the additional costs of clearing and grading the land and treating it for non-renewal of the vegetation and parasites.  Check out the creative solution to that challenge!  The other drawback to this site was the condition of the Sullivan Drive, the main access to the Melville Park and Campground.  Sullivan Road has since been repaved.

During the process of site selection, the Dog Park Committee conducted a survey of the dog owners in Portsmouth to ascertain their support and potential for regular usage. The results from 449 completed surveys indicated that 86% supported having a dog park in Portsmouth and 58% of those in favor indicated that they would use it daily or several times per week. 40% would support fundraising activities.

At a regular meeting on April 25, 2014, the Town Council unanimously approved locating a dog park at this site within Melville Park, applauding the Dog Park Committee for it’s thoroughness and efforts, and asking them to return to the Council with the results of their fundraising and design plans. In May, the Council authorized the Town Finance Director to set up a restricted receipt account in a local bank. The account was opened in early August and the solicitation for donations began in September.