Ross & buddy 9AUG21
t’s only when you hit the Arklow Dog Park that you realise just what a piece of pooch poo our own turned out to be.
Arklow Dog Park. Pic: Sinead Jordan
The physical work and financial support of quite a lot of people in the town, the Arklow Dog Park is largely the brainchild of Ross Hetherington, who has given over his life since the age of 14 to looking after – and figuring out – our four-legged friends. And from his online pet food store, Ecopet, to the dog paw tattoos running up his left calf, after 15 years of exploring our canine companions’ health and happiness, it was perhaps inevitable that Ross would pull off the perfect pooch park.
“And it could never have happened without the help of many, many people,” he’s quick to point out when we meet up down by the duck pond (dangerous, of course, if your dog isn’t pure bred) near Arklow’s North Beach. “My only fear is forgetting all their names. Perhaps I could send you the full list later…?”
Alabracadabrador, here is that list of pawsome heroes…
Coming in at a cost of somewhere south of €16,000, Ross reckons anyone could have a park like Arklow’s for less than that, “given that we now know exactly what works“. Unsurprisingly, other towns are already following the lad’s dog lead.
And it’s something for Bernie Stokes and Wicklow County Council to keep in mind during their current site search for a proper Greystones Dog Park.