MONTROSE, Colo. (KKCO) - One pet loving group is barking glad this week, as it clears a major hurdle in bringing a dog park to the Montrose area.

Dog lover Lynda Wurtz says when she made the decision to move to Montrose, she did so because it had everything she was looking for in a community -- well almost everything.

"We were surprised to come to an area like that was so pro-recreation that didn't have a dog park," said Wurtz.

In an effort to change that, she, her daughter, and other dog lovers she met formed "Friends In Dog Ownership" -- or FIDO.

"We just decided we needed to get this going," said Wurtz. "We needed to get a formal board established and actually start to make this happen instead of just wishing we had one."

So after nearly four years of organizing and raising about $10,000 in funds, a major development.

"We're excited," said Wurtz. "It looks like it's coming to fruition at this point."

Thursday, the Montrose City Council gave FIDO the green light to start designing plans for the park and to use a one-and-a-half acre space at Baldridge Park for it.

"It's a good idea for people to get out and socialize with other people and for dogs to get out and meet other dogs," said Dennis Erikson, Parks Planner for the City of Montrose.

City officials say there has been chatter about bringing a dog park to Montrose in the past, but nothing that ever got off the ground. So when FIDO came to them and said it would be willing to build and maintain one, they were happy to help.

"Everything that's going to go into this location is going to come from FIDO and not the city budget" said Erikson.

Both FIDO and city hope to have the park up and running by mid-summer 2011 -- and they're hopeful people and dogs will embrace it.

"Long term, we can establish dog shows, which is a great way of providing revenue for the city," said Wurtz. "It's just a fun thing to have. There are a lot of animal lovers here."

For more information about FIDO, or to learn how you can help them build a dog park, click on the link below listed under "Related Links."