PITTSFIELD – When Bob and Jean Gervais got married, Bob announced that he had only three unbreakable life rules, and the third one was the most important: No dogs.

But then along came Ernie, a Lhasapoo, half Lhasa apso and half poodle, and Bob Gervais was a goner.

“I am 52 years old, and this is the first dog I ever had,” he said Tuesday, freely admitting that the dog is now extraordinarily important in his life.

The couple is seeking to organize a dog park in the Pittsfield area as a place where both dogs and their owners can socialize. Pittsfield has a reputation as a community with many beautiful parks, but most of them are not fenced or remote enough to allow dogs off leash.

“This is a win-win situation for both those who like dogs and those who don’t,” Gervais said. “It will keep the dogs and their poop out of the people parks and give the dogs and their owners a place to have fun.”

A similar park is being researched for Bangor.

Despite that Pittsfield has a pooper-scooper law that requires pet owners to pick up after their pets, the town’s parks, Manson Park in particular, are often littered with piles of animal feces. The Gervaises said that a dog park could nearly eliminate that problem.

Jean Gervais, who admits that her Ernie has enough energy for a pack of dogs, said she is sad that Ernie likes to play and had no one to play with.

“When we brought our dog to Florida, there were dog parks everywhere,” she said. “It was a big social event. People brought their lawn chairs and sat and talked and the dogs had a ball.” The couple now goes frequently to the dog park in Portland where Ernie can run, romp and roll to his heart’s content.

The couple has organized “For the Love of Dogs,” and the group’s first meeting will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Pittsfield Library. “We are calling all dog lovers,” Jean Gervais said. “We need ideas and energy.”

The couple will be seeking location ideas and fundraising suggestions to eventually purchase a fence. Grant opportunities to help develop the park or buy the fencing also will be explored.

The Gervaises explained that dog parks are fenced, have a double-entry for safety, and typically are owned by the municipality. They are 99 percent self-policing, and club members will take care of maintenance if participants fail to use poop bags located within the park.

“But you don’t see any poop in these parks,” Bob Gervais said. “The people who use these parks are responsible.” At a 4-year-old park in California, 10,000 people have visited since its creation, and there has not been a single negative incident, he said.

“The dog parks become neutral places for the dogs,” Jean Gervais said. “There are no territorial issues.”

“This will be such a benefit for the community,” she said. “It gets people out. It gets people socializing. And there are great benefits to exercise for the dogs.”

She is hoping the new club will provide networking for a variety of services, possibly creating a dog-walking service, setting up “play buddy” dates and even advocating for a dog visit business, someone who would come to a home and feed or let out a pet during the day.

For more information, the Gervaises can be contacted at 487-5413.