Group Gathers To Help Bring Dog Park One Step Closer

Dogs and owners took a few moments on Saturday to cool off after their morning run at the Paws For Duty 5k and 1 mile walk.

Dogs and owners took a few moments on Saturday to cool off after their morning run at the Paws on Duty for Fun 5k and 1 mile walk.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – After a good workout, man’s best friend was more than happy to find a shady spot and relax.

Ten humans and their four-legged companions took to the Lacey Recreation Trail on Saturday for the 1st Annual Paws on Duty for Fun. Participants took part in a 5k run or 1 mile walk.

The event was in place to honor OPD’s former K-9 Nash, as well as other service dogs, like Marshall, who was a PTSD service dog.

Rebecca DeJong was one of the organizers for Saturday’s event. “The benefits of all of this will go to benefit the community,” said DeJong. “We’re taking the funds we raised from this for the City of Oskaloosa Dog Park.”

DeJong said that organizers for the dog park have been working with the City of Oskaloosa to utilize a place at Edmundson Park. “I think it would benefit the community greatly,” said DeJong. “It would bring revenue into the city. It’s something that could bond citizens of Mahaska County and the City of Oskaloosa.”

DeJong believes that the relationship with a pet fits right in with being a Blue Zones community as well. “We really want the city to get behind us so we can push this dog park forward and really get it going.”

The group said that they are looking to raise $10,000 to put towards a maintenance fund that would stretch over a 3 year time frame for the proposed dog park. DeJong said that during the next week, they hope to raise that money.

Beyond the 5k held on Saturday, the group intends to ask local businesses for assistance in making the project possible. DeJong added that they are working to get enough donations, “With the goal that we’ll have a plaque on the City of Oskaloosa Dog Park” for those who donated.

DeJong said that if you are interested in donating to the Oskaloosa Dog Park, you can call her at 641.660.4644 or meet her at her business, Rugged Trail Athletic Club. DeJong said that checks for the project need to be made out to the “City of Oskaloosa Dog Park”.

DeJong explained that donors have other options of helping out. “Buy A Fence Post” is an example of that. Fifty dollars can be donated towards buying a fence post for the proposed 2.1 acre park, which could potentially have a large dog area, small dog area and an agility area.

“We want to do it very responsibly so that it benefits the community,” DeJong said.

Posted by on Jul 29 2014. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Comments are closed

         

Search Archive

Search by Date
Search by Category
Search with Google
Log in | Copyright by Oskaloosa News