Fundraising for Morris Dog Park continues

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This article was published 06/08/2020 (1638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COVID may have affected their fundraising plans, but organizers of the campaign to raise money for the Morris Dog Park are still moving forward.

Lori Mazinke heads up the committee for the dog park, and said the need for the park was apparent when a year and a half ago, they sent out letters to gauge support.

“It was an overwhelming response,” she said.

The group needed space to have a fenced in dog park with separate areas for small and large dogs where they could run off leash. That was initially a tough problem to solve.

“We were very fortunate that this is the town’s land and they were willing to let us use it for the dog park,” she said looking over the site at the Scratching River Campground near the banks of the Red River just east of Morris.

Progress is visible. A bench sits near the sign proclaiming the area a dog park.

But at this point, no fences show the edges of the space, and that’s what the fundraising is for.

Mazinke said they want to have chain link fence around the areas, add more benches and some picnic tables so people can enjoy the space.

With $5,000 in the bank and a further $15,000 slated to come in for the project, Mazinke said they need to raise another $10,000.

And since COVID forced them to change some of their fundraising ideas, they came up with some new ones.

“We just had to get a different mindset on how we were going to get funds for the park,” she said.

One unique fundraiser called a pet art lottery will allow people to get a framed piece of art of their pet.

For $20, people can email a photo of their pet to morrisdogpark@gmail.com. What they won’t know is how the picture will be replicated.

It could be simply a framed photo, or a piece of art. The artist may be a professional, but they may also be a student, or even a preschooler.

They’re also planning a prize calendar, and the sale of stepping stones.

While COVID is forcing them to come up with new and unique fundraising ideas, it’s also led to an increase in pets. Mazinke said more people are adopting dogs now than ever before.

When the project began there were 400 dogs registered in Morris, and many of their owners are travelling longer distances to experience a dog park.

“Many of them go to the city, they go to Niverville, they go to Winkler,” she said. “They’re looking for places to go.”

A dog owner herself, Mazinke said it’s important not only for exercise but also to socialize dogs, and get them used to other dogs and people.

For more information people are asked to email morrisdogpark@gmail.com.