BRUNSWICK — After her dog was hit by a car, Sally Loving knew something had to change.
“We needed a fenced in place for dogs to play,” Loving said. “That was the whole driving force behind this.”
Loving now has an American Eskimo dog whom she mushes around her neighborhood in a recumbent bicycle.
Her pet is one of around 5,000 registered in the Bath-Brunswick area that she said needs a place other than Bowdoin College’s athletic fields to roam.
Loving’s group, BARK, which raises funds for a dog park in Brunswick, is over halfway to its goal of around $37,000, and Loving is hoping that an event this weekend at the Topsham Fairgrounds will help push that number along.
Currently, the group has raised $25,000, much of the support coming from local veterinarians, Loving said.
Following Town Council approval of a location for the park along the Androscoggin Bike Path, the directive for the group has been to raise the money.
“The great thing about it is that it’s a privately funded citizen initiative,” Loving said.
Loving said the group hopes to raise enough money to turn over to the town this fall to begin construction on the park that would place Brunswick alongside towns like Belfast, Kennebunk, Portland and Lewiston, which have fenced dog parks.
The group’s “BARK for the Park” event at the Topsham Fairgrounds runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and will include a wide variety of caninethemed events, including: a State Police K9 team demonstration, music, veterinary advice and dog etiquette lessons.
Parking will be available through gates 1 or 2. There is a $5 suggested donation for admission and leashed dogs are also invited.
For more information, visit www.barkmaine.org.
dfishell@timesrecord.com
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