Saturday, March 31, 2018

A Heart for Dogs That Led to Something More

Cindy Underwood has loved animals her whole life. Growing up, her family had at least one dog and occasionally one cat for as long she can remember. They had a hunting dog named Dandy and a border collie named PJ and finally, a St. Bernard named Sam.

Even though, they had pets at home, Underwood had a heart for strays. She would always bring home, or at least care for, any strays that happened to come along. 

Winnie
Once Underwood was able to get her own apartment, and eventually home, she has tried to keep at least one pet around the house. She still finds herself caring for stray dogs, posting and sharing photos of stray and lost dogs. “I try to get them back to their home or in to good homes,” Underwood said. 

All of this led up to a great accomplishment: The establishment of Cahaba Dog Park in 2017. “I became involved with starting the dog park at the beginning of a community Facebook post asking if anyone was interested in a dog park in Trussville,” Underwood said. “As interest quickly grew, a post from our former mayor’s daughter, Jaime Melton Anderson, commented that she knew of property that would be perfect for the park.”
Gatsby
Thus, Cahaba Dog Park began. Several women, including Underwood and Anderson, formed a proposal to the Trussville Parks and Recreation board with an agreement to present the idea to city council. These women and others created Trussville Dog Parks Auxiliary, with the hope that more than one dog park would eventually be built in the Trussville area. 

The board received permission to build Cahaba Dog Park, with funding from the auxiliary and donations from the community as a whole. 

Pearl
Currently, Underwood serves as president of the board, serving alongside Olivia Mullen Keri Fish, Katie Reese, and Shanna Cleveland. “Each one of them bring their own talents as individuals to make this project a huge success in the community,” Underwood said. 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Cahaba Dog Park to Hold Grand Opening May 5

Cahaba Dog Park is excited to announce a grand opening date of May 5, 2018. They chose this day because it is Trussville’s annual City Fest, formerly known as Dog Daze. 

“We are so excited to be a part of City Fest this year,” Jaime Anderson, Trussville Dog Parks Auxiliary board member said. “City Fest, formerly Dog Daze, has been a part of this community for as long as I’ve lived here, so having our grand opening that day is special.”

This is the 38th year of the festival. Though most activities are located at the Mall in Trussville, the dog park is just across the street from Cahaba Elementary School, just a short walk away. All Trussville residents are encouraged to bring their pet out for this fun day.

Monday, March 26, 2018

5 Things You Should Remember to Bring to the Dog Park

1. Towel
The dog park is muddy! If you don’t want your furry friend to muddy your car, bring along a towel for them. Having a towel ensures you can clean your pet up before heading back home.
 
Photo courtesy of Google Images.



2. Water & Bowl
You will want to bring your pet some water for the dog park. While we try to keep water available, when the temperatures start to rise, water will go quickly. There are bowls at the dog park, but if they’re in use, you’ll want to have your own for your pup.


Photo courtesy of Google Images.

3. Ball

While we don’t encourage you to bring toys to the dog park, a tennis ball that can get left behind if necessary may be a fun treat for your pup! Be careful, though, toys can lead to disruptions at the dog park.
Photo courtesy of Google Images.

4. Leash

The dog park is an off-leash dog park, which is a great feature! However, when it comes time to go home, or if you need to restrain your dog for any reason, a leash would be the safest and best way to do that.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

5. Patience
Your dog may not come when called. He or she may not be interested in playing with other dogs. You have to remember to be patient, especially if this is your first time at the dog park.
Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

History of Cahaba Dog Park

It all began with a Facebook post. After that, a large group, now with almost 2,000 members on Facebook began. Four women, Jaime Anderson, Joanna Garcia, Dana Larkin and Cindy Underwood, came together to form the Trussville Dog Parks Auxiliary board in hopes of forming several dog parks in the Trussville area. Thus, Cahaba Dog Park was born.

Tris loves exploring the dog park.
In early 2017, these women started making a push in the community to help facilitate the building of the dog park. After several meetings with Trussville Parks and Recreation, this dream started to become reality.

A 1.5-acre parcel of land was selected for the park, and the project continued to gain momentum. In the fall of 2017, the fences went up around the park, and by January 2018 the signs marking the small dog and large dog areas were installed.

A month later, the dog park officially opened to the public. Trussville dog owners have enjoyed the dog park already, despite the short time it’s been open.

“Wolfe had a blast Saturday and Sunday at the new park,” one Facebook user wrote on the Cahaba Dog Park page.

Jenny loves rolling in the grass.
“Building Cahaba Dog Park has been a community-driven, group effort from day one,” said Jaime Melton Anderson, Trussville Park & Rec board member. “We are so grateful for the support of Mayor Choat, our City Council, the Park & Rec board, the Trussville community and especially our Trussville Dog Parks Auxiliary members. We hope everyone will bring their pups to enjoy a day at Cahaba Dog Park.”

The park is open dawn to dusk, unless inclement weather. There’s a small dog area for dogs weighing less than 25 pounds and a large dog area for dogs weighing more than 25 pounds.

Cahaba Dog Park is located at 531 Cherokee Drive, just across the road from Cahaba Elementary School.

Finn might be big, but he's a puppy at heart.