A GoFundMe for North Battleford's off leash Dog Park aims to cover volunteer out-of-pocket costs. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Josh Ryan

Canine support

GoFundMe looking to revitalize North Battleford Dog Park

Mar 19, 2021 | 4:10 PM

An effort to help volunteer work at the North Battleford Dog Park has garnered close to $1,000 on GoFundMe.

The page is set up for donations to dog park needs, mainly items for keeping the park clean. This includes poop bags, garbage bags, heavy duty garbage bags and gas and oil for water pumps, as well as for lawn mowers. Page organizer Michele Harris said the reason she put this together is to sub in for a few people who’ve paid out of pocket to make sure the poop bags stay supplied.

“They pump out the water in the spring when it floods, they come out and mow the grass,” she said. “It’s all out of pocket.”

The land was donated by the city, but Harris said they do not maintain it, with volunteers handling those duties. Prior to last year, the Battlefords Hearing Centre had been donating poop bags, but discontinued that arrangement. Harris said it isn’t fair for the person who pays out of pocket for poop bags, who’s expected to make sure they are kept full at the park.

“It gets expensive, especially in these times,” she said.

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The Off-Leash Recreational Park is multi-use and allows owners to let their dogs run throughout the vicinity. Harris said it’s a critical part of the week for these pets, especially once the snow melts.

“It’s a great place to go for dogs to socialize and meet their furry friends,” she said.

Harris said since she put up the GoFundMe, which currently sits just under $1,000, she’s received plenty of positive words from people in the community and has been encouraged to explore grant options for the future. If the GoFundMe were to exceed its goal of $2,000, the money could further help with those maintenance costs or be put towards future upgrades.

“We’d like to get lights out there, as it gets really dark in the winter,” she said. “Get the area by the opening gate leveled out with some gravel, then there’s a seating area near the trees we’d like gaveled as well, so there’s a nice shade spot.”

Harris said the non-profit set up for the park and its users operates through a fundraiser bank account right now, which she will learn more about in discussions with other members over the next two weeks. The immediate goal is to keep the park maintained and looking good.

“So we have a safe and nice place to go for our dogs, where they can run free, play and have fun.”

Kendall Scott, dog owner and formerly the manager of the park’s operations, agreed with the notion of having somewhere where dogs can not only socialize but have an open space.

“They’re free. They get to do what they want to do and play with their friends,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Scott said she’s getting back into helping management improve the park. Use had declined several years ago, but it’s picked up since without the base of support needed to properly maintain it, despite the hard work of those who’ve been involved.

“Not enough volunteers, commitment to it,” she said. “It just went downhill, but [usage] has picked up again.”

Scott said she’d like to see some renovations done eventually, and possibly the addition of a pathway, but that’s definitely in the future. For now, getting donations back up to levels that they can cover the costs of bags, disposal and more is critical.

“Even just getting the volunteers to come and help clean the messes, people have left behind,” she said. “It’s going to be a bit of a build-up before we can work on anything big.”

The City of North Battleford was unavailable for comment on this story.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports