Health care, government bailouts, EBT cards and cigarettes.

The proper role of government is usually debated and decided in far-off places such as Washington or Concord. Sometimes, however, those decisions are made at the local level.

Consider dog playgrounds, the places demanded by more and more humans who think our mongrels need an off-leash opportunity to get in touch with their inner wolf.

In two neighboring towns — Derry and Hooksett — leaders have ranked dog parks right up there with police protection and public education, deeming it a government function worthy of taxpayer dollars.

There, pooches can run through tunnels and agility courses. They can lap up fresh tap water. All while their owners congregate on benches or at picnic tables. There's even a shelter in case of rain.

(That's nothing, however, compared with the county-funded, 13-acre dog park in Houston. Besides all the frills found in Hooksett and Derry, it offers a dog pond and even dog showers, according to my quick Internet research. It's named after a retired Republican congressman no less!)

But that's Texas; this is Manchester. About a year ago a group of dog lovers opened Peanut Park on a little sliver of city land just off Second Street in the 'Squog area of the city. You can find it next to a log landing area on Bass Island. City old-timers will tell you the land once housed a city zoo that was swept away in the flood of 1936.

Peanut Park lacks the polish that declares it a municipal project.

A chain-link fence surrounds the 10,000-square-foot park. No sturdy benches or gazebos. No segregated play areas for big and little dogs. Only crushed limestone and dust where dogs can run, scratch and do their business.

Of course, the park does have people, including Donna Hasbrouk.

“We love the dog park,” said Hasbrouck, the most talkative of four dog owners found at the park on a recent afternoon.

They sat in dusty lawn chairs under a sparse amount of shade in one corner of the park. An ashtray had recently been stolen, so they threw their butts in a 5-gallon plastic bucket. A few brought water in gallon jugs for their panting pooches.

“Everyone pitches in,” said Hasbrouck, who, as a member of the Manchester Dog Park Association, paid annual dues of $10. (She quickly points out that you don't have to be a member to bring your pooch to the park.)

“I've made a lot of new friends coming here. It's social, not only for the dogs but for us, too,” Hasbrouck said.

“I live here,” said Gail Sicard, the owner of a liver-water Irish spaniel, which is shaped like a beer keg.

Also nearby, Michelle Miller was engaged in one of the most popular pastimes at any dog park -- analyzing breeds. In particular, that of her dog, Cairo.

“Basenjis have a lot of energy; they hunt lions in Africa. Walking him on a leash just doesn't cut it,” she said.

But while its regulars praise the park, it has not caught on as organizers had hoped.

“I think part of the pullback is the West Side (location). The other pullback is we haven't done a lot of outreach,” said Tammy Simmons, one of the founders of the park.

Simmons is a state representative and Tea Party favorite. Along with Alderman Phil Greazzo (also a state rep., also a Republican), they pushed for their own version of the dog park, Tea Party-style.

No taxpayer dollars, Simmons said, although the organization did accept use of the land, rent-free, from the city.

“I don't think my elderly neighbor's tax dollars should be spent so I can bring my dog to a park,” Simmons said.

But without a big budget or big plan, the park moves about as fast as Sicard's Irish spaniel on a July afternoon. Expenses include $800 in annual insurance, and Simmons said the association needs money in the bank in case the fence is vandalized or other unforeseen expenses occur.

Simmons said there are nearly 300 dues-paying members. And the park has two posters on the fence, for a veterinarian and a pet sitter, which generate some advertising revenue.

Already nonprofit, the association is now focusing on tax-exempt status, which would allow it to receive tax-deductible contributions (which is, actually, a form of taxpayer support).

Meanwhile, members are angling for a water line (likely cost, $3,000) and a shelter. And some don't mind the idea of public funding.

“Derry's park is gorgeous,” Hasbrouk said. “Manchester doesn't spend their money as they should. They pay for signs at Rimmon Heights and fireworks, but they're taking away our teachers.”

Simmons predicted a shelter by the time winter sets in. And she has expectations that her association will eventually open other dog parks in other corners of the city.

But only at a slow, dogged pace. After all, it's people who want the frills found at Derry or Hooksett, she said.

“The dogs don't really care if there's a chewed-up Frisbee or an agility course,” Simmons said. “They just want to run.”

Interested? Simmons said anyone is welcome to join. Visit www.manchesterdogpark.org.

Mark Hayward, who lives is Manchester, is a longtime New Hampshire Union Leader staff reporter. He can be reached at mhayward@unionleader.com.