Community members join together to get Framingham its first dog park
FRAMINGHAM – Framingham residents decided their community was in desperate need of a dog park. So they did something about it.
Shannon Stevens, who founded the non-profit FRAMBark, couldn't believe how far people in Framingham had to travel to take their dog for socialization and exercise.
"And it boggles my mind that there wasn't a dog park in Framingham and the closest one at that time was in Maynard, which depending on traffic was 30 minutes away," Stevens said.
That has all changed now, thanks in large part to Stevens' efforts. A grand opening was held earlier this summer for Farm Pond Park.
"I started this in 2015 by just putting out a message on a community board by saying, Hey we don't have a dog park, want one?" Stevens said.
Seven years later, a place for 4-legged friends to play is a reality.
"The vet actually recommended that we need to socialize this dog and it's hard to do it on a leash and anyone with a dog knows that they need to just dog around. Do dog things and this has been critical for her," Angie Caryl, a dog owner and volunteer said.
Stevens said that opening the park is just the beginning. It's now a place where people can grow together.
"I've met so many people that I didn't know before this park opened. So there's so many good things that can happen as a result of this dog park," Stevens said.
The result has been a lot of wagging tails, playful barks and smiles.
"Can you tell I get excited? I'm like a total dog person. So yeah, It's great, it's wonderful," Caryl said.
"So many happy dogs and 95 percent of the people that have been in here, it's probably higher, have been amazing," Stevens added.