MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile is one of 15 cities to make the final round of a dog park grant contest worth $100,000.

The first leg of the contest saw more than 300 cities enter, including much larger communities such as Brooklyn, N.Y.

In order to make the finals, the city had to show community support.

PetSafe, a maker of pet-care accessories and equipment, is sponsoring the Bark for Your Park contest.

Judges considered community enthusiasm, availability of land and resources and overall impact to the city, according to the contest’s website.

In the finals, the winning city will be chosen based on online votes.

According to the rules, people can cast two votes per day, once on the contest's website and once on the contest's facebook page.

The contest ends Aug. 3.

Each of the finalist cities have produced a video explaining why they need a dog park and its potential impact on the city.

Mobile’s success in the contest so far is due in large part to the efforts of The Friends of Mobile Dog Park, which was already in the process of planning a dog park and raising money when the contest was announced.

Contest organizers said that a strong partnership between city leaders and community organizers would be taken into account when choosing cities that made the final round.

Catherine Quackenbush, the Friends of Mobile Dog Park’s accountants, said that the group has raised $27,000 so far, and the estate of Julien Marx, a dog lover, has pledged up to $100,000 more.

Despite the private fundraising, Mobile still needs to win the contest in order to build the best park possible, said Jane Conkin, another of the group’s leaders.

It will take about $200,000 to build the park as it is envisioned, complete with gazebo and benches, but a stripped down park can be built for $150,000, she said.

The difference between winning and loosing the grant contest is the difference between a great park and just an ok park, Conkin said. “We want it to be really nice.”

Quackenbush said that the group needs to continue fundraising so it has some money to maintain the park after it’s built. The organization is currently selling personalized pavers for the park’s entrance, she said.