TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO-WAWV) — Almost a year ago, Happy Tails Animal rescue purchased a piece of land on Eerie Canal and Wheeler with plans to build a community dog park. With just a month to go, the new park is nearly finished.
“I think we bought fencing back in October and now it’s June. And we’re really excited. I’m excited to meet more of the community through the dog park,” Co-owner Taylor Bullock said.
Co-owner Taylor Bullock said the dog park will consist of fencing, draining, agility activities, a pavilion, and seating. The rescue also plans to host community events like cook outs and movie nights in the future.
“I have two event coordinators and myself. We constantly are thinking about ideas on how to get the public involved. Kind of just going outside the box to bring people together that really love dogs,” Bullock said.
What makes this dog park different from others in Vigo County is safety being the number one priority. The park will be regulated by volunteers during park hours. You must show proof of vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, and your dog must be spayed or neutered to receive a dog park pass.
“We know that there are a couple dog parks in the community, but we wanted to do one specifically catered towards animals who are spayed and neutered. That way they can have a place to come and know that all the dogs there are going to be safe,” Co-owner Aaron Childress said.
“Requiring vaccinations in itself like things against like parvo, that’s very deadly. You know they have a like a canine flu that’s very deadly,” Bullock said.
Looking ahead owners of the rescue hope to build a rescue facility on the property in the near future. But for right now, the owners operate everything out of their home.
“Anytime that we have events, or meetings, or anything it’s always at our house and it’s not ideal. This will be nice to have people out here to be able to do events here and to bring people here when we do have meetings and things like that. It’s just a much better environment than our backyard,” Childress said.
The dog park will be having it’s grand opening on June 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks, vendors, and music to celebrate the new addition to Vigo County.
“It’s just something for you can bring your kids, bring your pets. You don’t even have to bring pets if you just want to come check it out and say hi. Just kind of see what it’s all about,” Bullock said.
For more information on how to get a park pass or volunteer, you can visit their website.
