My
husband and I attended a very unique event in March. It was the St.
Louis Senior Dog Project Reunion. This event encouraged anyone who had
adopted a dog from this organization to come out and enjoy a day of fun
at one of the local
dog parks. And we did exactly that.
The
dog park was in a nice, quiet part of the neighborhood. It was
beautifully landscaped and had a double gated entry to ensure the safety
of the its dogs. There was a water spigot at one end of the park along
with four plastic water
bowls. If your pooch was parched, you could simply turn on the faucet
and your dog could drink to his/her heart’s content.
Adriel
(one of our fur babies) loved running from one end of the park to the
other. She played with little dogs, big dogs and soaked up as many
belly rubs from the other dog owners as she could. It was a truly
wonderful day.
That
is when I realized that my town needs a dog park. Every day on my way
home from work, I see at least one person walking a dog. On the
weekend, that number easily doubles. But, they are doing just that:
Walking on the same sidewalk
on the same path in the same direction as always. While I love walking
my dogs, I have to admit, that would get a little boring.
Plus,
the sidewalks run parallel on either side of main street. Why is this a
problem? One of my dogs, Cole, is afraid of cars. He was found as a
wandering stray in St. Louis by the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. While
on a walk one
evening, I could not believe how “bad” he was behaving. He refused to
walk on the sidewalk closest to the street and ended up pacing (tangling
me up in his leash) whenever a particularly noisy car or motorcycle
went by. That’s when my husband gently reminded
me, “He was a stray. Remember? He probably does not feel safe around
cars.”
How
could I have been so foolish? If I had been in Cole’s situation, I’m
sure that I would have reacted exactly the same way. The goal as a
stray is to stay alive. And avoiding cars is a key way to achieve that.
So,
I began to think, where else could we take our dogs so that they can
romp around in the fresh air? We are blessed with a large back yard,
but it would be nice to interact with other fellow dog lovers. And Theo
does not like having
other dogs on his territory.
Yes, there are other dog parks in the area. However, the park in Belleville requires that you be a resident of the city and pay a membership fee. There is even a keypad on the gate of the dog park so that only members can get in. In O'Fallon, there is a very lovely dog park, but it is a very long drive to get to the park location. Plus, the sign indicates that the city would like you to be a resident as well to use the park, although it is free.
That left me with the same question: Where can we take our dogs to safely play and interact with other dogs?
I
decided then and there that I would do something about this. Surely,
Cole is not the only dog in my town that feels this way. And truth be
told, I am not a fan of walking my fur babies by the street. I'm sure that other Freeburg residents do not like the idea of having to drive for 25 minutes to get to the park in O'Fallon and then walk for another 15 before actually arriving at the park.
Building a dog park
in Freeburg would be the perfect
solution. Adding one to the large park that is already in existence
would be easy.
But, I have learned that there is much
planning that goes into a project like this. Thanks to the American
Kennel Club, I had a place to start. Their pamphlet, “Establishing a Dog Park in Your Community” was very informative and laid out all
of the steps that I need to take to (hopefully) make the park a
reality.
I started small by asking my friends
on Facebook if they liked the idea of a dog park in town and they loved
it! I then went out to the local park with my husband and took pictures
of possible locations for the park. Now, I am currently
creating a Powerpoint presentation (24 slides and counting!) to
someday, present to the Village Board.
In the next few weeks, I will be
posting a notice in the local newspaper, handing out fliers to the local
vets and groomers and be staging a live petition drive at various
locations throughout the city. But, I wondered, how would I get
signatures from my friends that used to live in Freeburg, but have
since moved away? Luckily, I stumbled upon the
www.change.org
website. This website allows you to begin and electronic petition for
your cause. It will even track how many signatures you obtain. Plus,
you can personalize your cause by adding photos and updates about
the project.
I would love your support! Please click on the following link to sign the virtual petition:
So, I will press on for now! That’s one small step for man, and one huge leap for our four-legged friends!
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