Dog owners can purchase a $40 year membership for one dog to the Prince’s Lakes dog park, with $15 per each additional dog. Elissa Maudlin | Daily Journal
Dogs in Prince’s Lakes now have a new place to run, play and get off their leashes.
Prince’s Lakes hosted a grand opening on May 4 for its new dog park behind town hall at 14 E. Lakeview Dr., Nineveh. Approximately 40 to 50 people, and numerous dogs, attended the event, alongside vendors like the dog bakery Bone Appetit Bakery, pet resort and spa Barkefellers and a bandana maker Lily and Cooper.
The dog park includes benches, sun canopies, a small tunnel and other equipment for dogs to play on. It is unclear how much the park ended up costing, as not all invoices had been turned in yet, but the project came in under budget, said Mike Gallamore, the park’s board president. Gallamore previously estimated it would cost over $15,000.
Starting Monday, people can buy yearly memberships to the dog park for $40 for one dog, with a $15 fee per additional dog. The membership gets people a card pass into the dog park and an emblem to put on their dog’s collar.
To purchase a membership, people can go to the town hall and fill out a form. Dogs need to be vaccinated and owners must bring their pets’ vaccination records when signing up for a membership. The dog park isn’t restricted to residents of Prince’s Lakes, so people who live outside town boundaries may also purchase a membership.
The dog park was constructed solely with donated funds from Jeffery and Kathy Lee in honor of their 33-year-old son Jonathan Lee, who died in 2023. Kathy is also working on opening a community garden for the town, hopefully around Mother’s Day, she said.
The Lee’s son Jonathan loved being around pets and had a special connection to his adopted dog Gryphon, who now lives with the Lees. While Jonathan lived in New York City, he volunteered at an animal organization where he would foster dogs while they waited to get adopted. He met Gryphon there and adopted him after he was up for adoption for so long that he became at risk of being put down.
The Lees said that although Jonathan rescued Gryphon, Jonathan would say that Gryphon actually rescued him while he was in New York.
Kathy said Jonathan “is smiling and beaming that [the dog park] is finally coming to a finish line.”
The goal of amenities, like the dog park, is to create “a sense of community” among residents and make the town a desirable place to live, Gallamore previously said.
“We’re a small community. People identify with us, with the lakes around here, but there’s more to the town of Prince’s Lakes than just lakes,” he said. “A total sense of community, this would really enhance that and support that.”
Like Gallamore, Kathy also hopes the dog park fosters community.
“We are thrilled to get to do anything for the community that we love. Getting the opportunity for dogs to have life off the leash is exciting for us, and we love the community of Prince’s Lakes and Nineveh and anytime people can come together,” Kathy said. “We’ve even read quite a bit about the dog park culture and how folks get a chance to visit while their dogs play, and even to the point of supporting each other and providing guidance and information to each other. It’s just another opportunity, like the community garden, where folks can come together in a good, clean, wholesome community way.”
She thanks the town council and Prince’s Lakes for donating the land to use for the dog park, and for different town departments helping out. The construction was mostly facilitated by the town, including with the water department running the faucets and water lines.
“These people have a regular job all the time, taking care of the water and sewer and streets,” she said, “and we’ve added more to their plate, not intentionally, but they’ve been wonderfully cooperative to help us get it done.”
The dog park is open from sunup to sundown every day. The dog park will close for maintenance every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., according to a sign on the property.
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