Kinston's Rotary Dog Park also becoming site for fishing, exercise, nature watching

Although the land has been designed for exercising and training dogs, the Rotary Dog Park has become a site for a multitude of uses.

At least six visitors to the 32-acre park along N.C. 11 South near Skinner’s Bypass spoke to The Free Press on Wednesday, but not one of them came with a dog.

Chuck Knowles of Kinston drove his pickup truck through the property during his lunch break to “see what it looks like.” He was trying to pick up a turtle that was sunning itself on one of the dirt roads that snakes through the park.

He said he did not own a dog, but thought he might come back to fish in one of the two ponds there.

“It looks like a pretty good place to fish,” Knowles said.

The park could become popular with local anglers, especially those who fished in the water years ago when the land was still a junkyard.

Officials with the Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department have spent the last two years working with local Rotary organizations, the Down East Hunting Retriever Club and other groups to clear out the refuse and landscape the property.

Members of the public have started bringing their dogs out, or just visited, during recent months as the grass, shrubs and tree saplings grow.

Ray Burgette of La Grange, who had not fished in the ponds in the last 15 to 20 years, took advantage of some free time Wednesday to toss in his line.

He did not catch anything, but spotted a number of bass and “some of the biggest crappies I’ve ever seen in my life.”

A former dog owner who gave away his yellow Labrador, Coco, years ago, Burgette said the park would be a good place to bring dogs, especially Labs who would enjoy the water.

“I guess you can do about anything you want down here, I reckon,” he said.

Adriana Strange of La Grange brought her 3-year-old son Joseph out to fish as well. She planned to bring the family’s 9-month-old Shi Tzu on the next visit.

“This is the perfect place for him to just run,” Strange said.

Aaron T. Outlaw and David Witherspoon of Kinston are friends who make regular visits to the park, with or without Outlaw’s Chihuahua, Precious. They did not recommend visitors eat fish caught in the park’s ponds, though, because of the risk of contamination.

Outlaw suggested park operators place the phrase “it’s all about nature” on the welcome sign, highlighting the vegetation and wildlife.

“We can come down here and totally walk around and relax, and bring your animals; you can’t beat it,” he said.

David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.