Berkeley Origin of First Dog Park Highlighted in NY Times Magazine

A special "Innovations" issue of the New York Times Magazine Sunday gave a nod to Berkeley as home of the nation's first dog park.

The magazine noted that an impromptu dog park sprang up on space cleared in the 1970s to build the BART system underground. 

Led by the late Doris Richards, neighbors who were bringing their dogs to the space were encouraged to create a dog park. It began as an experiment in 1979 and was officially established in 1986, the Times said.

Pretty soon, dog owners in other cities were writing letters seeking guidance on starting their own dog parks, the paper said.

----------------------