A tale of tails: The place of dog parks in the urban imaginary

Abstract

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association there are ∼75million dogs living as companion animals in the country and ∼39% of all households include a dog. Because a significant population of dogs live in urban areas, there has been a growing interest in improving where and how dogs can inhabit city spaces. One result of this interest has been the rise of dog parks or off-leash dog areas – often inside of, or attached to, public parks. These dog parks, however, are not without controversy. At the heart of the controversy are two interrelated questions: (1) where and how do the needs of other species become incorporated into urban spaces? and (2) what is the place of dogs in the conceptual identity of urban residents? To answer these questions we used Kansas City, Missouri, as a case study because it is an urban area of ∼100,000 dogs (∼400,000 humans), one established dog park, and a recent political battle over establishing a second. We combine theoretical grounding in animal and urban geographies with data from a news media analysis, a small-scale resident survey, a content analysis of public comments, and interviews to demonstrate that as the urban human–dog relationship changes in the private space of the home it is driving new urban identities and new configurations of public spaces.