The Paw Park held their grand opening from 1 - 5 p.m. Sept. 18. This new facility, that has been in the works for the past couple of years, opened its gates on the northwest corner of town, towards the cemetery on the right-hand side of the road and just before the CP tracks. Organizers welcomed approximately two dozen visitors and 11 dogs. They were happy to show off what they have worked so hard to accomplish.
Laura Howdle has worked feverishly, not only getting this project underway, but also putting in a lot of hours enlisting help, and her own hands-on labour in getting the fence surrounding the park complete. She said that it is still a work-in-progress and they are fine-tuning completion yet; so small dog owners should know that the far fence in the park is not yet fully attached. She encourages dog owners to come and let their dogs go for a run in Unity's first off-leash dog park.
The committee has a brochure outlining the mandate, goals, benefits and rules of this new facility. They have also posted the Paw Park rules clearly at the entrance.
After two years of ups and downs, the small sigh of relief that this project has finally come to be was evident. It was a small committee with big goals, one that worked to see their idea flourish into a physical place. It took much effort in fundraising and hands-on labour to see the project through to completion.
Laura was quick to point out that non-committee member, Jeff Boser, who happily cooked up smokies on the grand opening day, had put in much of the labour in erecting the fence that surrounds the park. She said it was efforts like his and that of the committee's, who were never deterred throughout the process, that helped this park become a reality.
