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D()gerk)o is no more. The citizens‘ group that brought the first and only leashâ€"free dog park to Waterloo has folded, memâ€" bers announced last Thursâ€" day. citing lack of park supâ€" port from the city and park users. "We‘ve had real difficulty with the city‘s structure," said Arlene Shousterman. one of the coâ€"founders of the Dogetfoo Association in 2000 "The city is not set up in a way that a volunteer Dogerloo volunteer group disbands due to lack of city support Dog days are over By Anpaea Baney _ Chronicle Staff The project was eventuâ€" ally approved by Waterioon city council in 2002. and the leashâ€"free area. located adjacent to Bechtel Park opened that winter Since then the Dogerioo ctew has maintained the patk" "We The group proposed the € ve been idea of a leashâ€"free zone for without a dogs to roam almast five contract with the Over the next few vears city since last they hosted public meetâ€" Dece T ings. open houses and inforâ€" mber. mabon sessions. looking for â€" Ariene Shousterman community support Dogerioe Assomiation group can run a public CITY NEWS But Shousterman s2a1d the work has become too much for the group. whiach hasn‘t grown in size since ts earh davs upkeep of the park *We have a handful of Shousterman sard. the lack of volunteers has preâ€" vented the group from fulâ€" filling certain obligations expecied of them as 2 chanâ€" table orgamizzaton. such a< pronding educeuon on the park. landscaping and leash â€"free parks *Mith so few prople. we couldn t do any of these things." she sa1d ‘And hecause of that. we could be at msk of lowung our chant2 the same peopie we ve Nag since the beginning and they re getting burnt out ~ ‘We ve been without a contract with the city since last December." she said "That womnes us in terms of legal hability â€" operating the park anthout a contract. *Mearnwtule. I nevetr even knew who to speak to at the o. | dadn‘t even know who to send the letter to announcing that we ve disâ€" Shousterman said two acts on the oty s part put the fimal nas in the groups cofâ€" And the ary‘s been of lit te help she saad. h _ Srteree Snng n Ths ad & recarve a FAEE MEMBRET 320 00 saiue 565 Kang SL M. @ Morthfeld in GTO Gas Bar â€" were qteretess Ca 880â€"1477 _ And the last straw came when Dogerioo was in the mudst of putting together its proposal for funding from the Tnllum Foundation. ‘It was crunch time. and it took us eight months to *It was already cityâ€" approved. we‘d worked on fundraising, and then they said no." Shousterman said. *It was very demoralizing." The first. she said. was when the city refused to folâ€" low through with support of a landscape pian the group developed for the dog park. Continued on page 5 TELUS