Support Berkeley Dog Park Maintenance

Berkeley Dog Park Goals:

However… we can’t do that without your help.

Your contributions are essential in meeting the goals of the Berkeley Dog Park’s annual goal of $6000 to maintain the park for a year. AND, we would like to raise enough funds to install a shade structure on the north west side of the park. We appreciate any support you are willing to give!

Items that are purchased: poop bags, pooper scooper, ice melt, snow shovel for when the city can’t get there, disinfectant spray, water jugs, the wagon used to pull the jugs and parts to fix the cart, the storage cart in the park for supplies, tools to maintain the park, among other items. Please keep in mind that the volunteers provide approximately 90% of the maintenance in the park.

Thank you so much for your help in making the Berkeley Dog Park the best dog park in Denver!

Or ask one of the volunteers if you are at the Berkeley Dog Park. Please keep in mind that the volunteers provide approximately 90% of the maintenance in the park which includes:

• Poop bags. We have to purchase the bags now because the stores don’t have the plastic bags anymore that people used to donate. Before you say it should be the responsibility of the owners, you are so right. However, that is not the reality. The volunteers cannot count on people to bring their own – it is not realistic – they won’t. Given the reality, volunteers make bags available and pick up poop so the park will not get flagged as unhealthy and be closed to use. Yes, there are some people who bring their own bags and pick up poop, but maybe only 33% of dog park users. The rest of the bags, have to be purchased and be made available. The volunteers make sure there are bags all around the park. We post that we need bags and go to people’s homes to pick up their donated bags. And we get a few from scrounging at the recycled bag containers at the stores. However, these approaches are only somewhat consistent and effective.

• Volunteers pick up poop twice a day. We have a pooper scooper that needs to be replaced about once a quarter.

• Trash cleanup. The volunteers find all sorts of trash in the dog park: stuff people throw out their windows near the road, empty liquor bottles, broken glass, tennis balls that are chewed up, etc.

• Sweep the sidewalks in the dog park so people don’t slip on the gravel. The volunteers also rake the gravel away from the fence, so it does not spill over in to the grass. One of the volunteers put the borders along the fence to help prevent the gravel from going to the grass.

• Snow removal using snow shovels when it snows.

• Provide water for the dog park. Volunteers make sure the water jugs are filled and available throughout the day, every day of the year – yes, even in winter. Volunteers have put insulation around the jugs, so they don’t freeze. The insulation needs to be purchased.

• The volunteers have put insulation around the jugs, so they don’t freeze. The insulation needs to be purchased.

• The volunteers clean the water bowls with a pet friendly disinfectant spray every morning. In the winter, they freeze at night so the volunteers have to get the ice out before the volunteers can clean and refill.

• The volunteers also spray the disinfectant on the poles that the dogs pee on.

• Once a month, the volunteers power wash the walkways, under the pavilion and the rocks.

o The volunteers fix everything in the park. The volunteers do maintenance on the gates. Occasionally, we have to purchase special tools.

o The volunteers do maintenance on the bag holders around the park.

• A storage cart to hold all the supplies which need to be replaced annually.

• The volunteers dig drainage trenches so that when it rains the water does not make lakes in the park.

In other words, it takes money. The city will only do so much - they do regrade gravel, sweep and disinfect the park about once a year They have 10-12 other parks in Denver and won’t help with supplies.