CARNDUFF
In front of the Affinity Credit Union’s Carnduff branch on June 27, the Carnduff Bark Park Committee put on their annual fundraiser.
They raised funds for general park maintenance and the regular mowing of the dog park through the sales of hotdogs, hamburgers and drinks.
This park is one that they are not only interested in maintaining but one they put a lot of effort into originally creating.
“Our committee built it ourselves,” said committee treasurer Ashley Silvius, who went on to explain how the park opened in 2015. To get money for the park’s opening, they had initially a lot of fundraisers on the go but now just have this yearly barbecue.
DeAnn Ratzlaff, one of the committee members, described the creation of the park in detail.
“We cleared out trees, planted grass, moved trees and put up the fence. We did everything. The money we raise today goes towards dust control, weed whacking, poo bags and toys,” said Ratzlaff.
The dog park is open all year round and sees a lot of traffic throughout the year. It is estimated to have 150 regular guests and 100 short-term visitors from afar.
“A lot of people come regularly from out of town,” Linda Powell said.
It all started with a need and a plea.
“One lady on Facebook asked if anyone was interested in starting a park and a few of us said yes,” said Linda Powell.
Since then, it grew and currently has a dedicated committee of nine members that each take turns maintainning the park for a month on a rotating basis, making sure there are poo bags and doing regular upkeep at the park.
Future plans and ideas for the Carnduff Bark Park include setting up an agility course for the dogs with tunnels and obstacles to maneuver around, and to set up a memorial garden where you can get a plaque made for a deceased dog with their picture and name on it, along with a bench to sit and enjoy the flowers and remember a lost friend.
