MUKILTEO — When Jennifer Charles wants to run her dog, Jager, leash-free, she has a choice.
She can take him to dog parks in Everett, Edmonds or Mountlake Terrace — or even some farther away.
There’s no place to legally let him run leash-free in Mukilteo.
Charles, a real estate agent and owner of dog boarding and training center K-9 Digs, and her friends Sally Berg Olson and Kelly Lee are leading efforts to get space aside in Mukilteo for an off-leash dog park.
They got together in mid- January and are in the process of forming a nonprofit so they can collect donations.
More than 830 people have signed their petition urging the city to create a dog park.
Last week, the City Council agreed to have the city do a feasibility study to find out where a dog park could be located.
“My biggest selling point as an agent is that we’re a dog-friendly community,” Charles told the council.
Council President Randy Lord told dog park enthusiasts he realizes the city needs more park space but he urged caution.
“I want us to be very diligent,” he said. “I think it’s important that we go through an inventory very carefully.”
Councilman Tony Tinsley cited liability concerns and wondered whether city staff would be overly burdened by taking on the project.
“All it takes is one irresponsible person out of thousands and we have a horrific event on our hands,” he said.
Oscar Halpert: 425-339-3429, ohalpert@heraldnet.com.
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