Bark Park a howling success

Lindsay Sandham

Every dog has his day, and at Costa Mesa’s Bark Park, every day is a

dog’s day.

The fenced-in park, which has been a part of TeWinkle Park for 11

years, is a two-acre place where dog owners can let their canine

friends run loose and make friends. There are two sections -- the

main dog park and the mini-bark park for smaller pups.

While the park is well-utilized, most of the park’s customers

don’t realize all the money and work that goes into maintaining it,

most of which is accomplished by volunteers and with donations.

Terry Tyson, vice president of the Costa Mesa Bark Park, said the

city pays for the heavy maintenance, but the Bark Park committee is

responsible for regular cleaning and providing customers with poop

bags. They are also planning a soil remediation and turf restoration

project for this summer.

Sharon Augenstein, treasurer of the Bark Park, said annual

maintenance costs run around $7,000, and the remediation project

could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $27,000.

In order to fund the maintenance projects, the Bark Park relies on

donations and fundraisers, such as the annual Puppy Luv Adoption Day

and Health Fair that was held at the park on Sunday.

A problem with Sunday’s event was no adoption agencies. None

showed up, so many people who came looking to adopt puppies were

disappointed.

“Most of the agencies are probably waiting for next week,” Tyson

said. “It’s the Orange County Pet Expo at the Orange County

Fairgrounds.”

Bark Park President Rachel Barnes said part of the problem is they

lack volunteers, and planning these fundraising events is a lot of

work.

“It came down to the wire and nobody had committed,” she said of

the local animal adoption agencies.

Although there was not the expected dog selection available for

adoption, Tyson said a lady came in the morning with a poodle puppy

and told someone she forgot something in her car and asked them to

hold the dog while she went to grab it. She never returned.

“The unfortunate thing is people do abandon their dogs here,”

Tyson said. Luckily, the poodle pup found a home with a woman who

happened to be in need of a canine friend.

Augenstein said they’re hoping to raise around $700 from

individual donations, raffle ticket sales and booth rentals.

“The bulk of our expenses are for the bags,” she said. “It’s hard

when you’re funding it all through donations.”

Vendors were able to rent a booth for the day to promote their dog

products.

Tennelle Milligan of Costa Mesa brings her 6-month-old Boston

terrier Alley to the park six days a week. Renting a booth was a way

for her to give back, as well as promote her dog products. She offers

custom embroidery on just about anything dog-related and also

decorates leashes and collars.

“All the money goes to keep the park clean,” she said. “We use the

park for free, basically. I figure it’s a way to kind of give back.”

Aileen Brame of Fullerton owns five dogs and uses the park

frequently to let them all run around.

“They have a lot of energy and can actually let it out here,

rather than destroying my furniture,” she said. “I think it’s a

really good cause. It’s good to have social dogs. That way they’re

not vicious toward people who come over, and it’s nice to meet other

dog people.”

Costa Mesa’s Joyce Weitzberg has been bringing Vinnie, an Italian

greyhound, to the Bark Park almost everyday for the past three

months. The 6-month-old pup was a birthday gift from her husband.

“He loves it,” she said of Vinnie. “He needs to run everyday, and

this is a great opportunity. He’s made so many friends here. I’ve

been to all the other dog parks, and this is the nicest.”

She said the first couple of times she brought him to the park, he

clung to her like a child going to preschool for the first time, but

now he plays with all the other dogs in the small dog park.

“During the week, you kind of have the same crowd,” Weitzberg

said. “He has definite friends.”

The next fundraiser, “Bath-steal Day,” will be held in August, and

then November features the”Howliday” fundraiser.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Tyson said. “We love our dogs, and we

want to keep this park around.”

* LINDSAY SANDHAM

is the news assistant. She

can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or lindsay.sandham

@latimes.com.