USA TODAY 'dog park' story features Tigard bond measure

In a front-page piece on the rapid increase in dog parks nationwide, USA TODAY featured the role of "pooch power" in passing a $17 million parks and open space bond in Tigard, OR in 2010.

Dog owners circulated fliers and went door to door for the ballot measure, which included funds to buy a popular dog park whose lease was expiring. The Conservation Campaign sponsored the bond measure, and The Trust for Public Land stepped in to negotiate a purchase agreement with the bank that owned the 2.6-acre lot. The dog park was one of the first places protected with funds from the ballot measure.

While dogs don't vote, their owners do, and this trend in the growth of off-leash park areas demonstrates that support for dedicated conservation funding can often come from unanticipated audiences. The campaign was happy to be able to harness -- or leash -- this passion to help bring victory in this rapidly growing Portland suburb.

The data on the growth in city dog parks comes from the just-released 2011 City Parks Facts report by the Center for City Park Excellence at The Trust for Public Land. This eagerly awaited annual report details the trends in park and recreation systems of the 100 largest cities in the nation.