ENFIELD, CT — For the past dozen years, canines have enjoyed the fun and benefits of having a park of their own in which to run and play. As of Friday, they have new leaders to look up to, as a new mayor and deputy of the Enfield Dog Park officially took office.
Mayor Sami and Deputy Mayor Kiera will act as ambassadors for the park for the next year. They will represent the park at public events, and they will show other dogs at the park how to be good citizens.
The “elections” are done in the form of contributions made in the name of all candidates, many at the park’s annual Puppy Pride fundraising event in June. All proceeds go directly to aid in operating the all-volunteer park.
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For all of their efforts, each is appointed a reserved parking spot at the dog park on Ecology Drive. They have to make sure their pet parents are not delayed in finding a parking spot, so they can quickly get to business each time they visit.
The park opened in Dec. 2011, four years after resident Rob Stefanik approached the town council with an idea to set aside dedicated space for an area similar to ones in smaller towns like Wethersfield and Southbury. The 1-acre park is adjacent to the town transfer station off Town Farm Road, and contains separate fenced-in sections for large and small dogs.
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The Enfield Dog Park is a 201C3 non-profit organization that relies on fundraising and corporate sponsorships to maintain the dog park. It is not funded by the town of Enfield or its residents through taxes.
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