A new off-leash dog park is coming to Coquitlam this fall — and the city wants pooch owners give their sound bites on how it's built.

An open house will be held on Wednesday, July 8 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Poirier community centre (630 Poirier St.) to discuss the off-leash area, proposed to be along the BC Hydro right-of-way on Mariner Way, by the city's animal shelter in Mundy Park.

Consultant Don Cunnings said the $80,000 facility would be about 60 feet wide and 100 feet long, and be split to accommodate three fenced-in areas for small and big dogs as well as an agility zone.

Cunnings, a former city leisure and park services director, said participants will be asked a series of questions. For example, What amenities are needed for owners and their dogs? How high should the fence be? What surface should the enclosure be? And how should the entrances and exits be designed?

"We are appealing to the citizens to participate," he said. "We want people to feel like they've made a contribution to what we hope will be a great off-leash park."

Cunnings said Town Centre residents also wanting an dog park have been invited to attend the open house (last November, a 218-name petition was presented to the city, calling for an off-leash park in Town Centre Park or Glen Park. Of the 33 off-leash dog complaints last year, 75% came came from the Town Centre area). And opponents to the Miller Park unfenced dog park are also welcome to have their say, he said.

Increased demand for fenced and unfenced off-leash dog parks has been growing for a number of years. Annual dog licences issued in Coquitlam have jumped from 2,365 in 2004 to 5,842 this year, bylaw and animal services records show, with the highest concentration in Central Coquitlam.

City staff are also looking to include an off-leash dog site on Burke Mountain, where city plans show another 25,000 people will live in the next 20 years.

For more information on the Mundy Park open house, call Marilyn Jollimore at 604-927-6962 or email her at mjollimore@coquitlam.ca.

jwarren@tricitynews.com