Man's best friend is now free to roam in Douglas County's new 16.5-acre dog park located adjacent to the east side of the Greenland Open Space trailhead that opened to the public on Sept. 13.

This new off-leash dog park was made possible by Devon Theune, a Girl Scout from Monument, Colo., who raised $4,000 in donations to purchase fencing materials to build a fence for the area.

Theune approached Douglas County Open Space and Natural Resources Division staff approximately one year ago with a proposal for an off-leash dog park to be located on the south end of the County to serve a growing need of dog owners interested in letting their dogs run and play.

"After hearing Devon's plans, we agreed that this would be a great asset to the County's open space area," said Douglas County Open Space and Natural Resources Director Cheryl Matthews. "Devon was very excited and ambitious about the project and we were eager to work with her on it."

Theune held a fundraiser called "Park Your Dog" to raise money for fencing materials. Donations came from 35 different organizations and individuals raising $4,000. Theune also convinced Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply to sell the fencing materials at 20 percent below cost.

On a blustery, rainy Saturday morning in August, Theune, her parents, friends and scout leaders braved the weather to pound T-posts into the soggy ground.

"We are so thankful to the many volunteers who have taken on some great projects to make improvements to Douglas County's open space," said Matthews. "We often have Girl Scouts, Eagle Scouts and other volunteers who raise money for projects, build benches, bluebird houses, create trails and more to benefit the public."

Directions to the new Dog Park: Take I-25 to the Greenland Exit 167 and go west under the interstate and follow the gravel road to the first Greenland Open Space area. Douglas County requests that all dog park visitors adhere to the posted rules and keep the areas clean by using pet waste removal bags provided at the park. Dogs are only allowed off-leash in the designated areas.

Please visit www.douglas.co.us/publicworks/parksandtrails/Dog_Off_Leash.html for other Dog Off-Leash areas or www.douglas.co.us/openspace/index.html for open space and volunteering information. For more information or questions regarding Douglas County dog parks call 303.660.7495.