Ken Fant wasn’t 100 percent sold on the idea of a dog park.As Manteca’s director of Parks & Recreation Fant said he needs to be confident that spending tax dollars on projects are the right thing to do.If he isn’t convinced that something is in the best interest of the community, Fant said he is obligated to make his concerns known to the decision makers on the City Council.Fant researched dog parks and came up with three major reasons that organizations such as the American Kennel Club endorse dog parks as a sound investment of tax dollars for recreation.The first two points were clear to Fant from the start.uDog parks are a responsible way for dog owners to exercise their dogs off leash as opposed to letting them run off leash on bike paths, parks or sidewalks where they can suddenly dart into streets, terrorize people with an intense fear of dogs, or unexpectedly bite someone.uDog parks promote responsible dog ownership by interacting with other dog owners and their dogs.The third point took him awhile to warm up to: Dog parks provide an outlet for dogs as well as dog owners to socialize.Now that the dog park located on the northwest corner of the Civic Center campus next to the Parks & Recreation Department has been open for two months, Fant said it is clear the dog park is as much a recreational activity for humans as it is for dogs.“You will see dogs huddling and socializing in one area and their owners huddling and socializing in another,” Fant said of the dog park.Fant talked about the city’s $235,000 dog park that includes two separate fenced in play areas — one for dogs under 25 pounds and one for dogs over 25 pounds — during Thursday’s meeting of the Manteca Noon Rotary at Ernie’s Rendezvous Room.“Owners socialize talking about their dogs, politics, and what’s going on within the community,” Fant said.He noted there’s an active Facebook group involving dog owners often set up play dates for their dogs through social media.Finding activities for people to interconnect with others is one of the basic tenets of public parks and recreation programs. It is the driving force behind a lot of low-key and widely accepted programs such as senior centers.He added that while many apartment dwellers without yards use the dog park which is the only city park where dogs can legally be off leash, a number of the regular users are people who have yards where their dogs can play.Fant said the dog park is enjoying fairly strong use. He was recently sent a video depicting 30 dogs in the larger dog park that showed dogs having a blast.The dog park — like most other city parks — is open from dawn to dusk.