(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.
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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.
Gaynel “Gay” Olsen and Otis enjoy the Phideaux Field dog park at Forest Hill Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Va. (Photo courtesy of Gaynel Olsen)
“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.”
The GNC Dog Park Club at Greenhaven Neighborhood Church in Sacramento, Calif. (Photo courtesy of Dan Walbert)
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.
