ASG endorses creation of dog park on campus

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) passed a resolution supporting the creation of a service dog park on campus at its Oct. 13 meeting.

The resolution, ASG’s first piece of legislation this semester, was authored by senators Sidra Capriolo and Nhu-Y Tran along with Nathan Phillips and Claire O’Dell, president and vice president of Paws for a Cause.

Paws for a Cause is a student organization in which members train and socialize service dogs.

Currently, Paws for a Cause’s dogs use the tennis courts on East Quad to freely train and exercise. However, the rough surface of the courts caused injuries to many of the dogs, such as torn paw pads, broken toes and bruises, according to the resolution. Also, the courts are often unavailable because they’re being used by tennis players.

ASG passed an earlier resolution in 2017 expressing support for establishing a service dog park, and Paws for a Cause has spent the past three years raising money for the project and formulating a proposal to submit to administration.

The proposal includes the cost breakdown of everything that would need to be purchased for the park, plans for operation and proposed rules, among other things. Phillips said potential locations for the park are East Quad, Western Campus and South Quad.

The project is expected to cost about $49,000, which Paws for a Cause will have raised through fundraising, member dues and a grant from ASG by the end of the semester.

Many members of ASG spoke in favor of the resolution, with several praising its thoroughness.

“I’m really impressed with both the legislation and the proposal,” senator Lauren Doepke said. “You can tell they’ve been working on this for years, so I’m fully in support of it.”

The resolution passed unanimously, and it will now be presented to the administration and the Campus Planning Committee.

phabymr@miamioh.edu