Long-time friends Debbi Brooks and Deborah Pesta meet several times a week at the Sweat Mountain dog park to catch up and discuss current affairs while their canine friends live it up outdoors.

Pesta, a CPA by trade, who now lives in Cherokee County. She is an active volunteer for Cherokee FOCUS, a charitable organization helping to improve the lives of children and families in Cherokee County.

She still visits the dog park because it’s one of the best leash-free dog parks around, she said, and she has friends that live in the area.

“Hailey is actually a friend’s dog, but she is crated during most of the day while my friend is at work, so I like to bring her out to the park and give her a little free time outdoors,” Pesta said. “Hailey and Logan are close in age to each other, so they really get a lot of exercise playing together.”

Just because you don’t own a dog doesn’t mean you can’t come to the park, Pesta said. “Some people help out the Cobb County Animal Control services, by bringing dogs out to the park that are waiting to be adopted. It’s great for the dogs, and even helps people make new friends, just by doing a good deed.”

Brooks, a local artist who was featured at the 2010 Marietta Art in the Park festival, is originally from Connecticut. She has been a Northeast Cobb resident for the past 12 years.

“My husband and I moved here when he took a job working for Turner Broadcasting,” said Brooks. “Since then, we have really enjoyed living in this area. It reminds me of home. We have a lot of the things that living in a larger city has to offer, but it still has that small town country feel to it.”

Brooks and Pesta, who met while working at the same company in 2005, agree that it’s the residents that really make Northeast Cobb an exceptional place to live.

“The people here are just so friendly and welcoming. Most are very outgoing and are a lot of fun to be around,” said Brooks.

Be sure to visit the leash-free dog park to spend time outdoors in a friendly environment. Who knows, you could be our next Sweat Mountain Dog Park “citizen of the week."