Children and dogs celebrated the first day of spring at Highland Park in Roanoke with an Easter Egg hunt and a Doggy Bone hunt. It’s the first Easter for the Roanoke Dog Park at Highland Park and dog park committee spokeswoman Vickie McCormick says, “There’s an Easter Egg hunt for kids. A lot of us feel our four-legged children are children as much as the two-legged variety, so we decided to partner with the city; while they’re doing the Easter Egg hunt for children, we’re doing a dog bone hunt for dogs.”
The area was decorated with paw-print covered balloons and dogs were guided into an area of the dog park a few at a time to find bone-shaped treats scattered on the ground. Dogs could have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny and Debbie Cheehy, author of “I Like Dogs” was on hand to sign copies of her book.
The dog park opened last May, and according to McCormick, the response has been tremendous. “There is not a day–a time–that I drive through, even if I don’t have my dog, that the park is not in use.”
In fact, McCormick says city officials are looking at several locations for creating a second dog park, “including potentially Thrasher Park, where there’s I think 27 acres total of park…so there could be a much larger footprint for a dog park over there.” She hopes one day there will be a dog park in all four quadrants of the city.
She says the dog park has seen more use since Six Wags Dog Park closed a few months ago. “So I think the demand and the need and the desire for dog parks is apparent, and I think it’ll be easier to get the second and the third and the fourth through.” She says the Dog Park at Highland Park is more than just a place where dogs play; “It’s a people park.”
Roanoke resident Danielle Watson agrees. She says a dog park allows dogs to interact with people as much as with other dogs. She and her husband were there with their two Great Danes, 1 ½-year-old Oddie (pronounced Odie), and 2 ½-year-old Sadie. Watson says they started bringing their dogs to the park a couple times a week after Six Wags closed. “They don’t need a lot of exercise, but then again, every dog needs exercise.” She’d like to see a dog park built in Walrond Park, near where she lives. “Being able to walk them over there not only gives us exercise but it gives them exercise, too.” Watson says a lot of elderly dog owners live near her and might take their dogs to a park closer to home.
The dog park committee is raising money to improve the current location. McCormick says they need funds to replace the sod on the hillside. “We are also selling bricks that will form a patio at the entrance to the dog park.” Bricks with a personal engraved message cost $100; the cost is $150 for a brick with an engraved logo. The dog park will be closed from March 29 through mid April to install the sod and brick patio. The committee has more plans for the dog park. “There’ll be some pathways that cut through, more landscaping, (and) a kiosk in the center to be a community bulletin board.”
Visit roanokedogpark.com for more information or to donate.
By Beverly Amsler [email protected]