DEC. 2006

Open the Gate and Let’em off the leash
Wethersfield Dog Park is officially open!

By Matthew Phoenix

The dogs finally had their day on the beautiful, sunny afternoon of October 7th, when a leash was finally cut, marking the official grand opening of the very first dog park in Wethersfield, Connecticut. In fact, the Wethersfield dog park is the first park in this region of Connecticut.

The leash cutting ceremony was led by MC Susan Gillanders, of the Dog Park Volunteer Committee. Approximately 200 dogs and their owners attended this rambunctious event, and special guests Russell Morin, Mayor of Wethersfield, and Kathy Bagley, Director of Parks and Recreation, were in attendance.

"It was very exciting to be able to open the dog park. At the time there were more than 200 dogs, not including their owners. It was a new experience for me to be involved in an activity with that many dogs," said Kathy Bagley. "Luckily, all dogs were very well behaved."

In the beginning of 2006, Kathy and Don Griswold along with Renee and Mike Dansereau approached the Parks and Recreation board of Wethersfield with the hopes of building a dog park in their town. The board was willing to follow through with their request and began the process of finding the land and making this possible.
The construction of the dog park began in April with the clearing of underbrush. All the trees in the area were left untouched. The fence was erected in September after $35,000 was raised by the Wethersfield Dog Park Volunteer Committee.

"I give all the credit to the Wethersfield Dog Park Volunteer Committee for raising the funds which made the dog park and the leash cutting ceremony a success. The dog park has become quite the social hangout," said Bagley.

Like all dog parks there are certain rules that apply. One rule that seems to be neglected by many people is that all dogs must be licensed.

"You wouldn’t believe it but we have had to turn people and their dogs away at the gate. This is something we feel terrible about doing but it must be done," said Kathy Griswold, Co-Chairwoman of the Dog Park Committee. "Because of this we have seen that over 200 dogs in Wethersfield have been recently licensed since the opening of the dog park. It’s a great feeling to know that people are willing to license their dogs just to use the dog park."

At this time, no future events are planned, but the committee is hoping to host some fun activities for the spring.