By Timothy Bradfield
ROCK SPRING, Ga. – Tucked behind the Walker County Civic Center is an opening at the edge of the woods and a sign that reads “North Georgia Animal League Dog Park.”
From there, a gravel trail descends into the woods, leading to the shady park with a chain-link fence where dogs can roam leash free.
Bambi Scott is a big fan of the new park. The Rock Spring resident says she brings her four dogs – Susie, Crank, Copper and Bear Cub – to it several times a week.
“I love it. I think it’s a great addition to the community. We’ve needed it,” Scott said.
She said she had been driving 30 minutes to a dog park in Chattanooga, but now she and her dogs are in the car just five minutes.
“They’re inside dogs,” she said. “So this is their way to get their energy out, their exercise.”
The park, which had its ribbon-cutting last month, is the result of 18 months of work, North Georgia Animal League Dog Park officials said.
There’s a “bit of a sigh of relief that it’s finally done,” league board member Virgil Sperry said. “And to see that it’s actually being used means it was something that was really needed.”
The dog park is on a tract of land that was part of the Walker County Civic Center campus. League members approached Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell about using the land, and she gave it a thumbs-up.
“I’m glad they thought of it,” Heiskell said. “It’s a plus for the quality of life in the community.”
The league used its own money, about $2,000, for improvements such as the fence around the park and the sign at its entrance.
The North Georgia Animal League was formed in 2003, and its primary goal is the proper care of animals in Walker County, officials said.
League officials said other significant league projects include an ongoing spay and neuter rebate program. Walker County residents who get their pets spayed or neutered can submit receipts to the league by mail and receive a $35 rebate, officials said.
The league also wants to create a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, which would provide the services to Walker County pets for about half the regular price.
Heiskell has given the league permission to use the Fire Station 11 building in LaFayette for the clinic after the fire crews move to a new building later this year.
The hurdle now, league officials say, is collecting enough money to equip the spay-and-neuter facility.
“Coming up with $2,000 for the dog park was literally a walk in the park compared to coming up with $100,000,” Sperry said.
Heiskell says a low-cost spay and neuter clinic will help address the problem of “a lot of unwanted animals” in the county.
“It’s going to take a long time, but this is a start,” she said.
Timothy Bradfield covers Walker County. Contact him at timothyb2010@gmail.com.