The Oxford Lafayette Humane Society dog park will soon begin renovation. They plan to add shade structures, lights for nighttime use and play equipment.
(Photo by Kamera Griffin )
Wedged between a bustling soccer field and the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, the Oxford Dog Park on McElroy Drive can be overlooked.
Despite its lack of signage, however, the park has attracted a regular group of users. Every weeknight at 7 p.m., dog owners show up with their pups, just like they’ve done for the past year and a half.
Because the park is the only public place in Oxford where dog owners can legally let their dogs roam without a leash, local engineer Connor McDermot and the tight-knit community of dog-owners is determined to improve it.
Currently, the park lacks shade, privacy, play equipment and has drainage issues around the pool.
A month ago, McDermot created a GoFundMe page to raise money so he and the other dog owners could provide proper updates to their park.
“It’s a publicly funded project, so we have to raise all the money on our own,” McDermot said. “The city isn’t involved, but Mayor (Pat) Patterson donated $100.”
The process so far has been a group effort, with dog owners like Tanner Lopez stepping up and contributing ideas. Lopez works construction in town and helped draft the plans for a cement pool and a raised wooden deck for the dog park.
The pool and raised deck are a part of phase one of the upgrade, which also includes a privacy screen along the soccer field’s fence, a re-excavated gravel pit with working drainage pipes and additional benches.
McDermot said dogs are often frightened of the neighboring soccer field, and a privacy screen would help.
Phase one reached their fundraising goal of $5,000 Sunday. Phase two of the plan, however, is still dependent on $5,000 in additional funding which will add shade structures, lights for nighttime use and play equipment. The same GoFundMe account is being used for phase two, and the fundraising goal was raised to $10,000.
Phase two is possible due to a generous donation from the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project. Beneful donated $3,575 as part of their campaign to support dog parks across the nation.
McDermot said he plans to use additional funding to put up signs advertising the dog park since people have told him they never knew about the location. He estimates 30 people use the park every day and says more people have been around since the launch of the park’s Facebook page last spring.
“We’ve really created a bond out here,” McDermot said. “A lot of Oxford residents are apartment owners and need a place to let their dogs play.”
Sophomore business major and apartment owner Jonah Ivey said he’s looking forward to taking his dog, Beaux, to the park now that he knows about the upgrades.
“Beaux would love it, especially being able to use the pool on a hot day,” Ivey said.
