Nichole Litchfield thinks Wareham is the perfect place for a dog park, and apparently, some experts do too.

Litchfield, a Wareham resident, initially wanted to build an animal shelter in town, but after looking into the details, she decided that it would be too big a project to take on. But a dog park — that, she thinks she can handle.

“I’ve just been thinking a lot about it, and now I’m throwing it out there,” she said. “I love dogs. Everybody loves animals. Everybody thinks about doing these things. I want to make it a reality.”

Litchfield has organized the first meeting on Thursday, March 5 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Wareham Free Library to help coordinate efforts to construct the Wareham Dog Park at Bryant Farm on Sandwich Road, The site has already been identified in a Playground and Open Space Assessment and Recreation plan presented to the town in December by BL Companies. The group was hired by the town to complete the report, which looked at all the open spaces in town — from ball fields to playgrounds and other recreational areas — and saw Bryant Farm site as being fit for a dog park.

“There’s not a lot of places dogs can go, especially off-leash,” said Litchfield, who's in the process of creating a non-profit organization to raise funds for the project.

She said the site was chosen in part because there are no neighbors close by and plenty of free space for dogs to play with other dogs and get some exercise.

Litchfield is looking for volunteers to help throughout the process, and is inviting those interested to attend the meeting Thursday night. She said the first meeting would be very informal, and mainly to see if there’s any interest from other Wareham residents.

“People really should know — let’s meet, let's talk, and come up with a plan as a community to get it going,” she said.

She hopes to raise as much money as possible prior to asking for help elsewhere.

The report from BL Companies estimates that it would take approximately $25,000 to construct the park itself, though other work would need to be done to the area as well. The report estimated anywhere from $168,000 to $373,000 would be needed to provide for all its recommendations.

She said that just by BL Companies already identifying Bryant Farm as a potential suitor, they’re already on the right path.

“This makes it easier for the town to move forward,” she said. “You’re cutting out a couple of years right there.”

Litchfield said that towns like Mashpee and Falmouth have already funded dog parks mainly through grassroots efforts, with the citizens of Mashpee raising over $200,000 on their own.

“It’s a lot. It’s going to be a lot. There’s going to have to be a lot of people pushing for it, or it’s never going to happen,” she said.

Those interested in finding out more about the Wareham Dog Park can click here to visit their Facebook page.