Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
Ironwood — A fundraiser for the Ironwood dog park yields many benefits, according to organizers.
H.O.P.E. Animal Shelter and Friends of Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park hosted the second Hound Dog Hike event with proceeds going to maintenance and improvements of Iron King Dog Park at the corner of East Ayer and Bonnie streets in Ironwood.
For a donation, dogs and owners walked from the dog park to nearby Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park on Sunday morning. The companions had the choice of a 1.4 mile walk, or optional 1.9 mile and 2.9 mile routes through the Pabst Loop and Aurora Loop of the 180 acre miner’s park. There were refreshments waiting along the way including water bowls for the dogs.
“This is the only benefit for the park,” said Kay Fiene, board vice president of H.O.P.E., a nonprofit organization that hosts and cares for lost, stray and abandoned cats and dogs until adoption into forever homes. “There are several events for the H.O.P.E. shelter all year.”
The donations were at around $1,500 by 11 a.m. with an hour to go, she said. Latecomers from church were expected closer to noon but there was no expectation to reach the $2,500 raised at last year’s Hound Dog Hike, that was the official grand opening of the city owned community dog park.
“This year is kind of small,” Fiene said.
Donations for the dog park can be made through H.O.P.E. Donors need to specify that a gift is for the dog park.
The funds address basic maintenance and improvements at the dog park such as repairing vandalism to a fence, tree planting and wood chips for the picnic table area, said Colleen Sachs, H.O.P.E. board member. Long term plans are to build an adjacent park for small dogs, she said.
Mara Maher, H.O.P.E. board president, said the shelter will be assisting the dog park with outreach along with its own. A brochure to let visitors know about the dog park and its location will be provided to area hotels that allow pets.
A sign pointing out the location of the park from the Easy Street intersection with U.S. 2 is also planned, she said. There is some overlapping purpose in encouraging people to use the dog park, the miner’s park trails and to become aware of adoption programs at H.O.P.E., including daily visits, she said.
Kris Baumgartner brought Oscar, an English springer spaniel, all the way from Woodruff, Wisconsin for the event.
“My sister volunteers for the shelter,” she said. “We have always had springers and we always get rescues.”
Azure Scheppler, of Ironwood Township, brought her Boykin spaniel, Lambo. Her fiance, Donald Cvengros, brought his hound mix rescue dog, Abbie.
“We try to come every year,” Scheppler said. “We just wanted to make our donation and take the walk.”
Steve Fiene, of Montreal, Wisconsin, brought his beagle mix, Hilda, and terrier mix, Tucker.
“We’re volunteers at the shelter and we like participating in their fundraisers,” Fiene said. “They get to interact with other dogs so we’re all getting something out of this.”
Being outdoors is very beneficial to the people as well as the dogs, Maher said. The dog park is becoming a social destination for friends who like to visit while their dogs play together in the park.
“So along with that we want people who use the dog park to know it’s important to clean up after yourself,” Maher said. “If you use the dog park, exercise pet ownership responsibilities.”
Educating people to be responsible pet owners, such as spay and neutering, is part of the H.O.P.E. mission, she said. When someone adopts a dog or cat they should understand for the sake of the animal that it’s not until the owner decides they’re done with it, but to make it a lifetime commitment, she said.
From day-to-day there can be anywhere from six to 30 dogs, or from 20 to 60 cats at H.O.P.E., she said.
“It fluctuates severely,” Maher said.
Linda Detloff, of Marenisco, was one of the God’s Work, Our Hands volunteers from All Saints Lutheran Church in Wakefield and Sharon Lutheran Church in Bessemer. The group brought cookies and refreshments as part of its Fall Ministries program.
“We just go out in the community once a year and do things like that,” Detloff said. “One group is weeding the flower beds at Gogebic Medical Care Facility, another group is cleaning tombstones at an area cemetery and this group came to the dog park.”
