The Perry Paw Dog Park could open at Honeygo Run Regional Park in Perry Hall by early fall of 2012—but only if community members back upcoming fundraising efforts.

The Perry Paw Dog Park committee has planned its first two events, Family Fun Day at The Avenue at White Marsh on May 19, and the Perry Paw Dog Park Fundraiser at Chapel Hills Farm & Nursery on June 10.

Anyone interested in donating may also mail checks to the Perry Paw Dog Park at P.O. Box 44176 Baltimore, MD 21236.

Tammy Zaluzney, president of the dog park board, said the fundraising events are about maintaining the momentum of community support.

"So many members of the community have come forward wanting to donate. I'm not going to say that fundraising is ever easy, but it's probably going to be a lot easier with all of this support," Zaluzney said.

A grassroots movement to construct a Perry Hall dog park started in April 2011 when Zaluzney, a Patch columnist, wrote about dog parks and their value to communities. When readers asked if a dog park could ever be constructed in Perry Hall, she started the Perry Hall Dog Park Facebook group.

The proposed dog park quickly gained support among community members, county and state elected officials and the Perry Hall Improvement Association.

County Councilman David Marks also secured the promise of a $5,000 donation toward the park from the developers of a planned senior housing complex in Perry Hall.

In August 2011, Marks appointed a task force to work toward the park's construction, and in March 2012, the park gained county approval to be constructed at Honeygo Run Regional Park.

The committee is planning the construction of two fenced-in parks within a one-acre plot of the park—a larger one for bigger dogs and a smaller one for smaller dogs. They do not plan to use county funds toward the construction of the park, opting instead to rely on fundraising.

The initial costs of Perry Paw Dog Park include a fence, a gate, signage and a system to identify park members, according to Zaluzney.

Electricity, running water and an electronic card reader system for park members is also on the committee's wish list, she said, but the emphasis is on opening as soon as possible. Added amenities could bring the park's total cost to $50,000.

"We're looking for biggest bang for the buck, but we'd also like to streamline it with the best available technology," she said.

Having a members-only park was a stipulation of the county, Zaluzney said.

"Obviously, we're not trying to make money off this. We want it to be inclusive rather than exclusive, so we want the fee to be as minimal as possible," she said.

In addition to fundraising, the committee is working toward becoming a facet of the Perry Hall Recreation Council, an effort that would streamline fundraising and maintenance of the park, she said. The committee plans to request inclusion into the council in May.

Contact committee members by email at TammyZ@PerryPawDogPark.org, BarbW@PerryPawDogPark.org or VickiR@PerryPawDogPark.org.

What amenities are on your wish list for the dog park? Tell us in the comments.