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Dog Park Friends Create Personal Pooch Party

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Pet owners who enjoyed the White Rock Lake Dog Park before it closed last April have created their own pooch party.

"Every dog here knows they're going," said pet owner Donna Guthrie.

Guthrie is one of many residents in the area who meets up from 8-10 a.m. with other dog owners every day.

"We just rotate… this morning we were at Jim's house. Tomorrow we'll be at Frank's house," she said.

It's a daily social event that started not long after the Dallas City Council approved close to $1 million in upgrades for the park in January.

"It's a pleasure. It's a morning pleasure," said pet owner Frank Perry.

With friendships forged over the bonds also shared between furry friends, group members used to sit and talk at the old dog park.

"Everybody learned their dogs names before… for the longest time I didn't know who was who," said dog owner Jim Christian. "There's a variety of people -- a really good variety of people."

Despite having different backgrounds and political beliefs, up to 15 people on a busy day meet up. They unleash their laughter; a love for their pets bridging the divide.

And now, the loss of the first official off-leash space in the city is something some group members aren't worried about anymore.

"To be brutally frank, I don't care if they open it. This is far better," said Perry.

In their quest to keep their dogs happy, pet owners have found their own source of joy.

The new dog park will open in December. The group said it may use it in the evenings, but they still plan to host their own gatherings every morning.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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