Volunteers build fenced park for Davis shelter animals - StandardNet

FRUIT HEIGHTS -- About 40 animal lovers dug in Saturday to build a park for dogs and cats impounded at the Davis County Animal Care & Control Shelter.

The volunteers, from BOMA's Helping Hands, were in full working mode in building the park immediately west of the animal shelter located in Fruit Heights.

"It is going to be 5,000 square feet of fenced-in, landscaped area," said Rudy Larsen, chairman of BOMA's Helping Hands.

The project, upon its completion Sept. 3, will have a value of about $26,000, Larsen said.

"We're not skimping on anything," he said.

BOMA, short for Building Owners and Managers Association, for the past several years has been providing volunteer service work for community projects. In 2010, the group volunteered to perform a $50,000 re-roofing project for the Roads Homeless Shelter in Salt Lake City.

This year the group turned its attention to the Davis County animal shelter. As a result of being fined for not having his 4-year-old Rottweiler licensed, Larsen discovered the shelter's need for outdoor play space for the animals being held there.

"My wife and I adopted a dog before we had any kids," Larsen said, explaining his soft spot for man's best friend.

Larsen, who lives in Bountiful and owns Lawn Butler, a Centerville landscaping company, said the intent of the park is to help impounded dogs and cats become more adoptable by providing an area where they can play and interact with a potential owner.

"Fifteen minutes in a dog play group is the equivalent to walking the dogs for about two hours," Larsen said.

And a dog who is less stressed is less likely to bark when approached by potential adopters, he said, in turn increasing its chances of adoption.

"Dogs are going to love us. That is what it is all about," Larsen said, who had no difficulty finding volunteers to help him put the project together.

Although dogs are the focus, Larsen said, there will be a separate pen within the park set aside for cats.

Larsen estimates 350 hours of volunteer labor will have been invested before the project is complete. All supplies used in the project are donated by volunteers.

"The plans are for a fenced-in play area full of pea gravel, grass, play obstacles, benches, rock piles, tubes, everything a dog could ever want to play on," Davis County Animal Care & Control Director Clint Thacker said.

He said the project was well out-of-the-reach of his current budget and would not have been possible without the help of BOMA.

The park will improve the shelter's image, while helping staff meet their overall goal of increasing adoptions to reduce the number of animals that have to be euthanized, Thacker said.

In addition to the volunteer labor and building supplies, BOMA is donating 400 pounds of dog food to the shelter.

Businesses participating in BOMA charities are Lawn Butler, Al's Auto Parts, CB Richard Ellis, digitalworxs, Metro Graphics, RMT, Rubicon Contractors and Stratford Insurance Group.