Got an Empty Church Lawn? Why Not Turn It Into a Dog Park?

(RNS) — This past summer, the dog park at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church was in trouble.

For 25 years, Phideaux Field had been a labor of love for Forest Hill, ever since an older church member decided the church’s spacious lawn, which was unused most of the week, was the perfect place for a dog park. There was little green space in the neighborhood for dogs to run free and the church lawn could fill that need.

“Everybody thought he was crazy,” said Gaynel “Gay” Olsen, a longtime church member who oversees Phideaux Field and often visits the park with Otis, her 13-year-old “sproodle” — a mix between a springer spaniel and a poodle.

But members of the Richmond, Virginia, congregation went along with the idea. They put up a fence, set out water bowls and poop-bag dispensers, and welcomed all comers. The church even set up a Facebook page, where dog owners could talk with each other and make plans for doggie play dates.

“It’s more than a dog park,” said Olsen. “It’s a mission of the church.”

Forest Hill is one of a handful of congregations nationwide that run dog parks — often viewing them as a community service or a way to get to know their neighbors. They are also a way to put church property to use for the public good, at a time when trust in organized religion is declining.

Forest Hill, like many churches, has seen attendance dwindle in recent decades. The church, which can seat about 500 people, usually draws 20 folks on a good Sunday, said Olsen. When the church’s insurance company decided the dog park was a bad risk, church members could not afford to find replacement coverage.

Instead of closing the park, church members struck a deal with the city of Richmond to lease the dog park at no cost. The city pays the insurance and did some upgrades, while the church continues to provide volunteer support. In early October, the new park was dedicated.

The partnership was a win for the city. “It was a unique opportunity to have a long-term lease on a dog park,” Richmond City Council president Kristen Nye told Axios earlier this year.

Dan Walbert, pastor of Greenhaven Neighborhood Church in Sacramento, California, said his congregation had long thought of converting part of its property into a dog park. The lot was fenced and gated and folks from the neighborhood were already often walking their dogs by the church.

“It looked like a dog park,” he said. “And we’re in a residential neighborhood, so there was a lot of dog traffic on our property.”

Walbert, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, had some experience working at a ministry that had a dog park. While in seminary he worked for Apartment Life — a faith-based nonprofit that helps build community among apartment complex dwellers.

“We had the biggest private dog park in the city,” he said. “So evangelism and dog parks — everything just rang a bell.”

For insurance reasons — and to address some neighborhood concerns — the church set up a free membership to the park, with a locked gate. To join, dog owners scan a QR code at the gate, which takes them to the membership form. So far, about two dozen dog owners have signed up to use the park, most of whom live near the church.

The dog park is part of a larger project to put the church property to use for the community. Next year, the church plans to open a large community garden, with help from the Girl Scouts and other churches in their neighborhood, known as the Pocket, and they hope to open the church playground to the public.

Walbert helps oversee the dog park — emptying the trash, refilling the doggie bag dispenser, and collecting the membership information. He said the dog park has done what the church hoped it would do — provide a way to connect with neighbors.

“Some of them had lived 50 to 80 feet from this church for 20 years, and didn’t know anything about what it was or what we believe,” he said. “They weren’t sure what the heck we were.”

Count Aprile Johnson, a church member in her 70s, and her year-and-a-half-old border collie, Cooper, among daily visitors to the dog park. “It’s wonderful because he can run off the leash and I don’t have to worry,” said Johnson.

Cooper is a fan too.

“He loves it,” she said. “We could be four blocks away and he knows where we are going.”

In Marion, Indiana, the UltiMutt Dog Park has also proved a hit in the neighborhood around Unity Christian Church. When the church was first built, said Kevin Greenlee, the senior minister, it was surrounded by fields. Eventually, those fields were filled with homes, but few of their neighbors had any connection to the church.

Once a congregation of about 300, the church now has about 95 people, “if everyone shows up,” said Greenlee. The church was looking for ways to connect with its neighbors when a family at the church came up with the idea of a dog park. The family brought the idea to church leaders, who decided to set up a fundraiser. If the money came in for a dog park, the church would do it.

“I think it was five months, we had raised all the money,” Greenlee said. Setting up the dog park cost about $17,000, including adding some pavilions and a drinking fountain for the dogs, with most of the work done by volunteers. Most days, between 15 and 20 folks show up with their dogs. Greenlee, who can see the dog park from his office, will stop by and say hello. That’s led to a few new folks coming to the church in the two and a half years the dog park has been open.

“This isn’t, ‘hey, all of a sudden we are going to have 50 new people in the church,’” he said. “But it’s a long game, and it serves the community and puts us on the map.”

At Arise Church, a United Methodist congregation in Pinckney, Michigan, a dog park has been part of the church property from the beginning. Thirteen years ago, the church was building a new facility and bought 22 acres that had space for a dog park and a church.

“They started meeting in a dirt floor barn for services and then set up the dog park on the property,” said Pastor Jonathan Vitale.

The idea for a dog park came from a church member who was a dog trainer. It’s now overseen by a group of volunteers, including Sue Kazusky, the church’s dog park trustee.  The park now includes a heated gazebo for cold Michigan winters, seating areas, a few pools for dogs to play in, and spaces for both large and small dogs. There is also a prayer walk path for dogs and their owners, and in the past, the church held an “On Your Paws” dog-friendly worship service.

There’s no charge to join — instead, the whole project is supported by donations, though owners do have to show a rabies certificate.

Once a year the church holds Dog Fest to celebrate dogs and their owners. Mary Ellen Mohn said the dog park has created its own little community filled with friendship between both dogs and owners.

“It is an amazing thing that takes care of itself,” said Mohn.

For Forest Hill, Phideaux Field is one way the church is involved in the community. The church rents out space to a school and some of the students help out with the dog park, said Olsen. The church has also served as a voting site, has a small food pantry on site, and offers an annual blessing of pets. Olsen said that with an aging congregation, few members are involved with the dog park but the church still has vibrant worship with a great church organist who plays on a massive pipe organ.

“It just fills your soul with joy. Some of us just go to church for the music,” she said. “It’s like going to Carnegie Hall.”

A retired medical school professor, the 73-year-old Olsen can often be found at church, taking care of the gardens and doing whatever needs to be done. She and Otis are often out in the dog park, visiting with other folks and having a good time.

“He’s 13 years old now, but I’ll tell you, he can run with the rest of them,” she said. “He loves that dog park.”