As her dogs splashed through the American River and bounded along Paradise Beach, Jackie Kuhwarth fumed over the citation in her hand.

Eight years after getting that citation for allowing her dogs to run off-leash, Kuhwarth is feeling a little triumphant.

Plans for a 4-acre dog park near the American River are on the drawing board. The enclosed expanse for dog owners and their dogs is part of a $2 million building phase at Sutter's Landing Regional Park near midtown.

The citation prompted Kuh-warth to organize the Sacramento Dog Owners Group and wage a long civic battle for territory on the river where dogs can roam off-leash, plunge into the water and run through the wilderness.

Her dream is still not realized. But the park near the river is a welcome compromise, she said.

"Small, fenced parks are a wonderful place for people who can't walk," Kuhwarth said. "We're not like a bunch of renegades who advocate dogs running amok."

In her perfect world, she envisions a 25-acre dog reserve at the water's edge for her three basenjis.

Advocates for the river, though, have steadfastly opposed off-leash zones extending to the water, citing conflicts with the river's wildlife and people who use the American River Parkway.

Virtually unheard of two decades ago, dog parks are now the hottest urban amenity, said Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land in Washington, D.C.

"There are some conflicts, but the overwhelming majority think it's positive," he said.

So much so that some park builders are thinking of dog parks as much as playgrounds when they create new parks, he said.

Beginning with smaller, narrow spaces tucked into New York City's cityscape, dog parks have evolved into resort-like spas for the four-legged with water and exercise features.

In Stockton, a sculpture of a giant colorful stack of dog collars greets visitors at Barkleyville Dog Park.

Mandatory leash laws beginning in the 1980s and a reverse migration of suburbanites into urban centers created a need for safe, confined areas where dogs could run off leash, Harnik said.

A growing body of research into dog psychology has stressed socialization for dogs, said Claudia Kawczynska, dog owner and editor of Bark magazine in Berkeley.

After her own successful seven-year effort for an off-leash park at the Berkeley Marina, she has written position papers to help others plow through the civic process.

"When we started, it was hard to point to other examples, show the size or what we wanted," she said.

The growing number of parks means wider acceptance, she said. "Policymakers need to see success elsewhere."

It's always about the poop, Kawczynska said, noting the top objection.

Nearby residents could raise concerns about barking and dog fights, but a park with active stakeholders polices for potential problems such as dangerous dogs and poop violators, she said.

The whole community benefits from well-exercised dogs that behave better at home, advocates said.

The social aspect for dog owners is another plus, Kawczynska said. "One of the great things is people from all walks of life come together. I've seen senior citizens talking to teenagers watching their dogs play," she said.

On the lawn at the Sierra 2 Center in Curtis Park, Yolanda Ashford, coffee mug in hand, chatted with Barbara Sherry as their dogs swirled around them on a recent morning.

"This is what brought us together," said Ashford of the regulars who meet at the park. Ashford and Sherry spoke of book clubs and other social groups spawned by the dog park.

"If there's any theft around here, we know about it in the morning," said Ashford, a product demonstrator.

Sherry, a textbook editor, said the park is not official and was created through negotiations with the center. After a dozen years, the park works through cooperative users.

"We're pretty good at self-policing," Sherry said.

No official national count exists. A Center for City Park Excellence survey of the country's 75 largest cities – including Sacramento – found 353 dog parks within those city limits, Harnik said.

Sacramento has six in the city and an additional dozen or so in the near suburbs.

After getting their first dog a few years ago, a San Jose couple began creating a national map at Dogparkusa.com.

"She had a passion for dogs and I do Web sites professionally," said Greg Holsclaw, who owns a beagle-terrier mix.

Holsclaw and his wife, Tracy, post reviews and photos from readers along with researched sites collected by Tracy Holsclaw from around the country. Parks vary in size and splendor and how they are funded, Greg Holsclaw said. Some are private, nonprofits that collect coins in jars that can amount to $20,000, he said.

The Sutter's Landing park expansion, funded mostly by city bonds, also includes basketball and bocce courts. Sacramento Vice Mayor Steve Cohn met with a few dozen people at the park to present the plans last week. Any objections have largely been addressed over the years-long process, he said, and he anticipates little opposition when the council considers the plan Tuesday.

If the council approves the plan, the park could open by the end of 2009 – as soon as possible, Cohn said. "There's a lot of dog owners out there."

Call The Bee's M.S. Enkoji, (916) 321-1106.