Ground broken at Bark Park
Posted on Thursday, October 2, 2008
BENTONVILLE — Wiggles, a Welsh corgi supported by short legs and kept on a leash, ran around, wagging her tongue at what will become the hot spot for canines to hang out in a few months.
When the Bentonville Bark Park opens, Wiggles will be able to roam free, play and mingle with other dogs at a community park.
Wiggles joined Carolina Dog Sandy and their owner, Tammy Dengel, for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bentonville Bark Park between the North Bentonville Trail and North Walton Boulevard on Wednesday morning.
“ It’s great, just to be able to have a place where they can have an agility course, ” Dengel said. Dengel is the owner of Doggie Heaven, a local dogsitting service, and said a number of her clients are excited about the new park as well.
Wiggles, Sandy and other dogs scurried up to join city officials and volunteers who have been working to make the dog-park dream come alive, as shovels were plunged into the ground for the first time during the ceremony.
The groundbreaking was made possible with $ 110, 000 in donations from the community and local vendors. On Wednesday, Del Monte Pet Products presented the park with a donation of $ 10, 000 to complete the $ 110, 000 necessary to complete the first phase of the dog park.
John Schube, with Personna American Safety Razor and chairman of the Bentonville Bark Park, said it’s been nearly two years since the dream of the park came from his daughter, Melissa Schube. Melissa Schube is a Girl Scout, and the project will earn her a Gold Award, which is the Girl Scouts of America’s equivalent of a Boy Scout Eagle Award.
The first phase of the dog-park project must be completed by the end of the year for Melissa Schube to earn the award.
“ Not only will it provide a safe place for dogs, like my dog Sadie Sue, to run and play, but it will also contribute to the beautification of Bentonville, ” Melissa Schube said, according to an informational brochure about the Bark Park.
Plans for the park include the following:
• 1. 3 acres of fenced lawns, trees and benches;
• One large-dog park and one small-dog park;
• An agility course; and
• Relief, water and waste stations.
For more information, visit www. bentonvillear. com and click on the “ Bark Park in Progress” link from the right-side menu, or call 254-0833.
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