After nearly 3 years of planning and advocating, building a local dog park is now becoming a reality for the community of Emeryville, which was just awarded $25,000 through the PetSafe® Brand Bark for Your Park™ program. Emeryville, Calif. is one of 25 cities nationwide that was selected to receive funding to build an off-leash dog park through this year’s Bark for Your Park grant-giving program.
With a workforce once made up of primarily industrial and manufacturing jobs, the city of Emeryville—a small community with a population of less than 12,000—is now home to a large biotech and software sector, dotted with retail and high-density housing developments. The idea for a dog park came from members of the community who lack adequate space—in the heavily urbanized East Bay area—to walk and run their canine friends. The project was proposed to the city council and approved in 2014, but, unfortunately, the need to complete other projects and budget shortfalls have left the dog park unfunded.
“Residents are currently forced to walk their dogs on narrow city sidewalks where they don’t always feel safe and have nowhere for their furry companions to interact and play with one another,” said Carolyn Lehr, City Manager of the City of Emeryville. “Thanks to the PetSafe Bark for Your Park grant, we can now fulfill the need for a safe, open space for dogs and their owners to enjoy in Emeryville’s increasingly urban environment.”
The new PetSafe dog park will be located at the 4000 block of Beach Street, near Halleck Street, under the 40th Street overpass. The site intersects a high pedestrian traffic area and a major bicycle corridor that links the cities of Emeryville and Oakland.
“We’re touched by the city of Emeryville’s dedication and commitment to ensuring all of its residents and their canine companions have access to a place where they can socialize and play within their community,” said Willie Wallace, CEO of Radio Systems® Corporation, makers of the PetSafe Brand. “We’re honored to support Emeryville in its mission to create a safe, off-leash dog park that the community will enjoy for years to come.”
PetSafe Brand developed and launched the nationwide Bark for Your Park program in 2011 to help communities build their own off-leash dog parks. This year, PetSafe Brand restructured the contest into a grant-giving program and increased the number of awards from five to 25, with five communities—including Emeryville—receiving $25,000 for new dog parks, 10 communities receiving $10,000 park upgrade awards and 10 communities receiving $5,000 park maintenance awards. Recipients will be awarded a combination of funds as well as commercial-grade dog park equipment from UltraSite™, a PlayCore company.
Emeryville is one of five communities in the Western region to receive a grant through the PetSafe Bark for Your Park program. Bozeman, Mont. and Bremerton, Wash. received $10,000 grants to upgrade their local dog parks, while Union City, Calif. and Cottage Grove, Ore. both received $5,000 grants for park maintenance. For a list of all Bark for Your Park grant recipients announced to date, please visit www.petsafe.net/barkforyourpark.
About the PetSafe® Brand
PetSafe® Brand is an industry leader in the development of innovative pet behavioral, containment and lifestyle product solutions. PetSafe® Brand is owned by Radio Systems® Corporation and headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.petsafe.net or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
About UltraSite™
UltraSite™, a PlayCore company, manufactures high-quality commercial grade dog park equipment that is based on popular agility obstacles and designed for dogs of all sizes, abilities and confidence levels. For more information, visit www.dogparkproduct.com.