Animal shelter to pursue dog park project

By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff

The longstanding effort to establish a local dog park just got $25,000 closer to reality.

Soon, boy, soon.
Photo by Mitchell Orr.

Panhandle Animal Shelter Executive Director Mandy Evans announced this week the organization was awarded a $25,000 grant last week to establish a dog park near the shelter building. Evans said PAS staff are eying an empty lot next to the shelter as a prime location for the park. The full cost of the project will likely add up to between $75,000 and $100,000, Evans said.

“Now we have to sit down and figure out how to fundraise the rest,” she added.

The idea for a dog park first emerged when shelter staff were considering projects to propose for grant funding.

“That’s when we thought, ‘Everyone wants a dog park,’ and we believe in creating a community destination,” said Evans.

Fortunately, they had two potential organizations to approach for possible grant funding. While one turned them down, the other, a national organization, approved them for the $25,000 request.

“I think their belief system and our belief system are very much in line,” Evans said.

The next step is to begin planning how the rest of the project budget will be raised. According to Evans, since the project doesn’t fit into the animal shelter’s overall mission, they cannot draw from the PAS budget. Instead, they will seek the community’s help to make the park a reality.

“Everyone is excited, and we’re hoping we can all come together to make it happen,” said Evans.