Chula Vista, just south of here, is asking for $500,000 in federal stimulus money to build a dog park.

Sunset View Dog Park is part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors “Mainstreet Economic Recovery” wish list now circulating in Congress. The money would upgrade an existing park and provide employment for seven people. It would also stimulate untold numbers of canines, fleas and ticks. The tennis ball and doo-doo bag industry are big believers.

In Chula Vista, the dog park is a small sliver of the $487 million worth of projects the city is seeking, to create 6,325 jobs. The other 18,000 “ready to go” projects include $2 million for neon signs in Las Vegas and $4.5 million for an “eco park” in Boynton Beach, Fla. featuring butterfly gardens and gopher tortoises.

Just … wow. Anybody know the name of Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox’s pooch?