Southern Californians love their dogs and are willing to drive miles to give their pets a fun experience at places like Best Friend Dog Park in Huntington Beach. The 1.7-acre fenced oasis with two areas, one for big dogs and the other for small canines in Central Park recently raised more than $3,000 from volunteers, vendors and fans who drove the distance to support this thriving playground for pets.
Located off of Edwards Street at Inlet, the all volunteer-run park held its 8th Annual Fundraiser recently with people coming from San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Carlsbad and other cities to help raise more than $3,000 for maintenance costs in items such as insurance, waste bags, trash bags and a trash dumpsters.
Vendor Tracy Weathersbee of Print Odyssey said: “The yearly dog park fundraiser is a great way to come together and raise money for the park. Ranked as one of the top 10 dog parks nationally, we are fortunate to have it here.”
According to Laura Garay, president of Best Friend Dog, vendors such as Spas For Paws Dog Wow Wash & Spa, Print Odyssey and 3N1 Print Graphix, gave a portion of their sales during the annual fundraiser to support a park which hosts hundreds of dogs daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“The best part was hearing how much people love & cherish the dog park.”
From baked goods and dog treats to raffles with prizes and free giveaways from vendors handing out dog toys and coupons for discounts, everyone who came to the party in the park helped the cause, said Dawn Petran, Best Friend Dog Park Board Member.
“We can only maintain Best Friend Dog Park with the support of everyone who understands the need for urban spaces to let dogs socialize and run free,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without our volunteers and community members who are invaluable to the success of the fundraiser.”
Huntington Beach resident Bill Anderson, whose late dogs Sophie and Hamer, are remembered with tiles on the walkway leading into the gated park, said: “Its great to have a special park where we can take our friends who like to bark, sniff, roll and play.”
“The dog park is an awesome section of Central Park,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns. “The volunteers deserve much credit for their creation.Thank You.”
Learn more on Best Friend Dog Park at: http://www.hbdogpark.com . You can also e-mail them at: fyidogpark@gmail.com.
