There is much talk about possibility of issues with dog parks including parasites, dog attacks, and our favorite - problematic people. Quite frankly, it isn’t a place for a Service Dog. It probably isn’t the place for a Veteran that has been dealing with Combat Related PTSD.

The triggers from people are one of the greatest things we deal with when teaching assimilation. It isn’t limited to the person that bumps into you at the grocery store, or being pushed through a checkout line - it is often people in general.

Now, consider the added stress of someone telling you how you should play with your dog, or train your dog, or just hanging in your ‘bubble’ while the dog that helps you with that pressure is off chasing his tail with a bunch of his new pals. This sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Consider the devastation of a Service Dog being injured while at the dog park. It happens too often, and it usually doesn’t make for a pretty picture. Imagine that a Service Dog gets injured - is there any need to go any further with this?

How would this play out for our adolescent handlers with Autism or Epilepsy? An incident at the dog park could change the perception of a child who sees their dog defend itself. We have the ability to avoid all of the bad scenarios from playing out. We can only do it with your support.

Our plans are designed to overcome those obstacles. We are going to provide a space that is safe for both dog and handler to train, bond, and better skills through play.

We have started Phase I already. We will move forward with Phases II and III with funding and time. We have some restrictions for Phases II & III, but we are planning to roll them out mid-summer 2019. We will apply for a state grant to assist us with the final phase if we do not raise the funds on our own.

Phase I - project cost $17,500.00

• Improve drainage to remove existing runoff created by neighboring facility.

• Sod green area #1

• Add over 500’ of stockade, privacy fencing to enclose our property that was recovered from neighboring facility

• Add lighting

• Remove existing pavers and replace with sod, creating green area #2

Our Adaptive Dog Park/Training Area will allow for working dogs to be dogs, and keeps handlers from being excluded due to a disability.

Once Phase I is complete we will finalize plans for Phases II & III. Our vision is to acquire all of the property we share on our current plat, update the building with a working A/C, paint, add fences, remove asphalt to create more green space for training and play areas. Phase III is to build out the interior of an existing area of our facility for indoor, adaptive training. This space would be outfitted with lighting, soft flooring, A/C-Heat, and the equipment necessary to for maintaining training for Service Dogs and Handlers. We would also create a parking lot for better facility access. We expect Phase II to cost around $85,000.00 and Phase III to cost an additional $150,000.00.