A dog prances far ahead of three family members, his ears perked, tail curled. A stocky beagle tackles a blond English Labrador retriever and they wrestle in the dirt. A black shepherd-boxer mix takes off running from under a bush, soon followed by a pack of pups trying to keep up.

Owners stop to talk on dirt paths or rest on benches, while dogs sniff the tall grass and short shrubs around them. The sky is dark with the threat of rain, yet more flock inside the steel-fenced area.

Opened in 2004, the dog park in West Des Moines’s Raccoon River Park has become a popular feature for owners, and more so for dogs.

“We live in a townhouse, so there’s no yard for him to play in,” said Holly Frary, speaking of her westie-poo Carver. “It’s nice for him to run around, be free and get the social interaction with other dogs.”

In a poll conducted on the West Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department Web site, 31.5 percent of respondents said the dog park was their favorite feature of Raccoon River Park, which is 14 percentage points higher than the next favorite, the softball complex. As the only dog park in Greater Des Moines, it attracts dog owners from as far away as Ankeny, and this year the city expects to far surpass the 860 permits it sold in 2005.

“It has become one of the most popular park facilities that we’ve ever built,” said Sally Ortgies, superintendent of West Des Moines parks. “I have seen a lot of things go into our parks, and this one has received the most positive comments.”

The nearly 10-acre dog park is set behind the softball fields with Blue Heron Lake to the west. The 4-foot fence that surrounds the area allows dogs to run off leash in either a small dog section with a field of short grass, or the big dog area with an open area, dirt trails along the fence, and a field of tall grass, shrubs and trees in the center.

“The dogs become so used to having exercise and time to run free,” said Ortgies, “that they probably don’t let owners forget they want to go to the dog park.”

A permit to use the park is $15 for residents of West Des Moines and $30 for non-residents, which gives dogs and owners over age 10 access to the park from 6:30 a.m. to dusk for one year. The money raised covers costs such as biodegradable waste bags, which Ortgies says the Parks Department orders by the 10,000, as well as some general maintenance.

For many who visit the park, the social interaction is invaluable.

“It seems like everyone knows the dogs’ names, but not each other’s,” said Bruceanna Phillips, owner of English Lab, Gibson. “For [Gibson] to be able to come out here, run and get tired, makes it easy to be a dog parent.”

Merry Wilson and Jean DePhillips walk together often, and recently started coming to the park with their sons’ dogs. Rebecca Good met up with them Saturday because, like DePhillips, she has a Weimaraner. Phillips happened to be playing with Gibson, when the three women showed up.

The four women talked about books and other topics – including one woman’s desire for more single men at the park – while Gibson wrestled with an empty juice bottle, Charlie, Wilson’s beagle, tackled the other dogs, and the two Weimaraners sniffed around. Phillips threw an empty water bottle and the dogs chased after it. The Lab was the victor, but the women were too busy laughing to notice.

The couple who live across the street from Shane Clemenson came up to him to say hi and pet his two Jack Russell terriers, Sparky and Skeeter. Clemenson admitted that he’s met several neighbors from his townhouse complex in West Des Moines, all out to give their dogs a chance to let loose.

“I like letting them run their hyperness off and meet other dogs,” he said. “We meet a lot of other people from our area here, too.”

The only complaint one might hear about the park is that other communities in the area have not built a similar amenity. Des Moines, Urbandale, and Ankeny have discussed building a dog park, said Ortgies, but West Des Moines has no plans to add a similar facility and likely would not do so unless it could be at least the same size as the one it currently has.

For now, people like Adam Gudenkauf of Ankeny will continue to drive west to allow his black and tan coon hound Baby to run free.

“She loves it,” he said. “Three miles doesn’t even put a dent in her energy. She just likes running around with the other dogs.”