NEWPORT – One day last weekKobi found a new friend, Tucker, through their shared interest in a bright orange Frisbee.

But despite how much fun they had, the 1-year-old pups might never see each other again. If the dog park doesn't move to a new location, it will cease to exist.

The City of Newport insists the dog park at which they met has become too successful for its Linden Avenue location. The city donated the land for the park nine years ago, but City Manager Thomas Fromme said they were clear then that the park would move if problems began to arise.

And they have, Fromme said, adding that he's received complaints about traffic, parking, early morning barking and excessive dust.

The city received six complaints via email about the dog park from 2017 to this summer. The majority were sent between April and June of this year, according to a Kentucky Open Records Act request. Kentucky law exempts the city from disclosing who submitted each complaint.

Some complaints don't have a record because they were made verbally to city officials, said Assistant City Attorney John Hayden in the records response letter.

Fromme gave the Newport Dog Park Committee the option to move the park around the corner to the Campbell County Library,a move that would cost about $30,000, paid for in part by the Newport Dog Park Committee and the Newport Foundation. The foundation is the charitable arm of the city.

Fromme said the current dog park will just go back to green space, adding that no companies are interested in developing that land.

The city is working with the state to get permission to turn the space behind the library into the new dog park.

The Dog Park Committee has raised about $12,000 so far, said newly elected president Tim Appleton. It needs $1,000 more to move the current fence and add a fence at the bigger space behind the library.

The rest of the cost falls on the foundation, which has tentative plans to build a bridge over a small creek, clear brush underneath trees to create a shaded place and install cement pads, Appleton said.

Not all pup owners want the park to move. Some contributed financially to the original space and don't want to see their contributions wasted. Fromme told The Enquirer the amenities those citizens paid for, such as the dog drinking fountain and benches, will be moved to the new park.

"We are especially appalled that the complaints of a few have convinced the city administration to end the enjoyment of dozens of Newport citizens and visitors from around the area," states a Google Forms document that has garnered over 100 signatures.

Many enjoy how close the current park is to their homes.

Olivia Salvatore only walks two blocks to give Kobi a place to release his energy. She also worries about the new location's proximity to the highway, which could pose safety risks for high-energy dogs.

Fromme told the Dog Park Committee this past summer that the park might have to move. In June, he made the official announcement at a Dog Park Committee meeting, though a timeline for the move has not been established.

Appleton parents a 7-year-old West Highland white terrier named Belmont. Belmont likes the dog park but would benefit from an area exclusive for small dogs to play, Appleton said.

Belmont isn't the only small dog looking for a place to play. A top reason residents don't go to the park is that they're concerned about small dogs' safety, according to an online survey Appleton conducted.

The new park could add separate spaces for large and small dogs, among other amenities, Appleton said.

The committee wants to remain neutral on the dog park location discussions, Appleton said. But he wants to "make sure there is a space."

"One of the things I keep telling people is this dog park is a privilege, not a right," said Appleton.

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Julia Fair is the new Northern Kentucky government reporter through the Report For America program. Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at jfair@enquirer.com and follow her on twitter at @JFair_Reports.