For dog owners and their canine companions, joy can be found in something as simple as a fenced-in field.

On March 12, at the Merrymeeting Dog Park in Brunswick, our new pup Lucy had her first taste of dog park freedom. Although at first intimidated by the eight other dogs running freely, she soon joined the pack. We stood by and chatted with other dog lovers, while Lucy made friends and burned off some of her puppy energy.

Safely.

Without being attached to a human arm.

She loved it and so did we. One woman we spoke with said she traveled to Brunswick from Walpole every week so her two labs could play and socialize at the park. While that might seem crazy to some, it seemed perfectly reasonable to us.

Here on the Boothbay peninsula, some local dog lovers have been working to make that same opportunity available without a 40-minute drive. Don Kingsbury, of Two Salty Dogs, and Valerie Young are spearheading a local effort to create a Boothbay Region Dog Park.

“Since I opened the shop, people have been coming in and saying, ‘We need a dog park, we need a dog park,” Kingsbury said. Kingsbury mentioned the idea to Young, a former Boothbay Harbor selectwoman.

“I was thrilled about the idea because I take my dogs to Brunswick all the time,” Young said, “They love it. It’s a big open field where they can run and it’s carefree for the owners.”

“The issue has always been the land. So when we heard about the Clifford Park redevelopment, it seemed like a perfect opportunity,” Kingsbury said.

Young approached former Boothbay Town Manager Jim Chaousis, who told her the timing was perfect. She quickly pulled together information on dog parks. Her effort was a success, and the selectmen’s preliminary plans for revitalizing Clifford Playground include a dog park. “We now have a theoretical blob on the map,” Kingsbury said. A Clifford Park committee was formed, but the project has not yet moved beyond the concept stage.

Although Young and Kingsbury agree that Clifford Playground would be an ideal location for the park, they are also open to other locations.

“No other properties have been identified because Clifford came up and it seems perfect. What I’ve been focused on is getting the dog park into somebody’s property plan. There is a lot of support for a dog park in the community. Whether you are a dog owner or not, a dog park is a positive for the community,” Young said.

Boothbay Region Dog Park has its own Facebook page, where Kingsbury and Young share information and hope to raise awareness and more supporters.

Kingsbury said he is excited about the level of enthusiasm generated so far but wants everyone to understand that a dog park is a little more complicated than simply installing a fence.

“If we’re going to do this, we have one shot at it so we need to do it right. We want to take the time to figure what people want and what the site needs to have. If we do it right, then people will come back,” he said.

Kingsbury and Young said they will stay in touch with the Clifford Playground Committee as plans develop. In the meantime, they encourage other dog owners to make their voices heard.

“We’re encouraging everyone to like our Facebook page, share posts and to talk about the dog park. Garnering support is our biggest goal right now.”