King of the Hill ramp is just one of the agility pieces with today's selection of Dog Park Equipment

If you don't have a dog park with dog playground equipment in your neighborhood or multi-family community, you may want to organize a group and build one - for the benefits of both canines and owners.

Because here are some interesting statistics.

We all know that dogs benefit from having a designated space for them to play. They get out of the house. They can run around unleashed. And they can socialize with other dogs.

When you add in dog playground equipment, such as ramps, tunnels and hurdles, there are even more benefits. Dogs learn new tricks that stimulate them mentally. They interact with their owners, which they love to do. And they burn up all that pent-up energy from sitting indoors.

That's one reason why the number of dog parks across the country has skyrocketed in the past decade.

If you are interested in adding an off-leash place for pooches with dog playground equipment in your area, here are a few benefits for humans that you might include.

According to a study, there are many social benefits for people involved with their pets.

Research has shown:

• 89.5% of pet owners interact with other pet owners when walking their dogs
• 75.8% walk more frequently in their community when they own a dog. When people are out and about in a community, it tends to portray a more vibrant (and safer) neighborhood.
• 40.5% become familiar with other people in their community through their pets.

In other words, creating a dog park can help people make friends and socialize more often!

Add that to a bunch of satisfied (and tired) dogs who have a way to get a workout outdoors, and you have a win-win combination.

How to start a dog park

Organizing a group to build a dog park is also a great friendship and community building activity.

Steeping stones for dog agility

Start chatting up the idea with other dog owners on your street or in your neighborhood.

Social media is a great way to network. Join local dog groups. Organize a local dog group on Facebook or Meetup.

You can also help spread the word at your local veterinarian's office. Or with dog groomers and dog walkers.

Find a core group of people who are really excited about adding a dog park in your area.

Once you establish this "Friends of the Park" type of group, they can all reach out to their friends and acquaintances and help build an even larger following.

Start a petition drive. There are online websites, such as Change.org, that make it easy to distribute a petition.

The next step would be to hold a meeting of interested dog owners.

Create a mission statement. Demonstrate support for a designated dog area in your community.

Gather statistics on local dog owners and supporters.

For example, from a study conducted in 2017-2018, the American Veterinary Medical Association says there were 76.8 million dogs in the US.

Researchers say 38.4% of households own a dog. That's more than a third of any community. There's certainly some clout with those numbers.

Put together an initial budget. Figure out ideas on how you can raise money to help build the park and add some dog playground equipment.

Then put all of that information together and plan on approaching your local government for support and funding.

When attending a town meeting, be sure to bring plenty of documentation along with you to show you've done your homework for this project.

In addition, it always helps to bring as large a number of people to the meeting as possible. Politicians are impressed by large gatherings. And a large group of people validates to them that their constituents really want this project to occur. So does a petition with lots of signatures.

Also anticipate any problems or opposition. Have a plan in place to address the needs of people who might have questions about the project. Also, be sure to have a set of rules and controls that you suggest to keep the dog park area safe and clean for local citizens.

Adjustable hurdles for different sized dogs

Funding for space, construction and dog playground equipment

There are several ways to raise money to help build a dog park.

Hopefully, the local town government will acknowledge the merits of the project and perhaps provide all the funds you need.

However, as you know, many municipalities are on tight budgets and money is scarce, especially for major new projects. Town officials are always busy and strapped just maintaining their current parks, roads, etc.

Hopefully, the local town can participate in some way, by either providing the land or some of the funds in a private/public type arrangement.

Other ways to generate funds include:

Grants and awards: There are companies out there such as Petco, Petsmart and Target that do issue grants from time to time for community projects. Check them out.

Dog walks: organize a dog walk with pledges for every mile walked. Everybody loves to see dogs getting exercise outdoors!

Auctions: ask members of the group to donate items for an auction. Contact local artists about perhaps creating some canine-related artwork. Maybe ask a local photographer to donate some doggie portraits (and they may then have an opportunity to generate paid family portraits as well). Contact local businesses. Just be sure to assure those businesses you will promote their brand in several ways in return.

Dog wash: car washes raise money. Dogs need baths! Perhaps ask a few local dog groomers to get involved.

Cocktail party: everybody loves a party. Make it dog-themed. Bring the dogs as well! What a great conversation starter! Maybe conduct a silent auction.

Flower and plant sales: have your group grow some plants. Put them in pots and offer them up for sale.

Dinners: it cost very little to create a pancake breakfast or a potluck dinner, but the revenue potential is huge. Organize an event at a local community center, get some volunteers and promote around town.

Memorials: when a pet leaves the planet, it's a sad occasion. Give people the opportunity to memorialize their favorite pooch with a donation and a plaque. You can place a metal plaque on just about any item - from dog-themed memorial benches to any piece of dog playground equipment such as ramps, tunnels or tables.

Concession booth: there are plenty of events, local green markets for example, where a group can set up a booth and promote themselves. Ask for people to sign up and donate. Perhaps sell some cupcakes or other goodies (homemade dog biscuits?). Make some jewelry or beads. Everybody loves dogs and this is a great cause that is sure to catch the attention of the public. Especially if you happen to have a couple of cute canines at your booth as well.

Look for sponsors and consider charging fees

Media: creating a dog park is a positive, feel-good story. The local media is always looking for these types of stories. Reach out to them - TV, newspapers and radio stations. Also, ask them if they would be willing to donate some advertising time or space that you could sell as a fund-raiser.

Sponsorship with logo opportunities: just like major league ballfields attract big bucks for sponsors, there might be several pet-oriented businesses that would be willing to sponsor a new dog park. Just be sure to create a nice promotional package for them to show your group will work hard to get them recognition for their investment. Potential sponsors include veterinarians, pet supply stores, dog groomers, law firms, grocery stores, etc.

Promote a fee-based park: if money is really tight, then perhaps suggest to town officials that they charge a fee to help recoup the cost of building a dog park and for dog playground equipment. In addition, the annual fees could be used for maintenance or to add future amenities such as lighting perhaps.

However, charging a fee will probably result in fewer users and it is not as inclusive as a free dog park.

One great advantage of a dog park project is that most households own a dog, most people love dogs and many people will be glad to donate time or money to help out Fifi or a Fido.

While building a dog park with dog playground equipment can be a major endeavor, it's also assuring to know you will have a sizable amount of support from your community.