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Ali’s Dog Park, 221 N Perry Street, Ottawa, OH (2024)

09/17/2024

So this is a picture of something that is sticking up out of the ground at the dog park. I cut it below ground level once, but it seams to be “growing” . Perhaps it’s a grounding rod for a tv antenna or something…Anyway, this will hopefully be cut out by tomorrow - thanks Kevin. Please all remember that there used to be homes on this ground and things may unexpectedly “pop up” from time to time.

Please message us here, or call, or let the village know and they can get in touch with us.

We are also concerned with the extreme dry weather that there may be some ground contraction in other areas. If you see a concerning gap between the ground and bottom of the fence let us know ASAP so we can address it. We are looking at solutions for the maintenance gate in the small park now.

We want you to be comfortable to bring your dogs without worry of escape or injury.

Please reach out if you have concerns.

Thanks!

Mike and Louann

09/16/2024

My new friend at the dog park, Khaleesi!

09/06/2024

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

It has been some time since our last post but we have news!

First, a big shout out to the Village of Ottawa for installing a parking area on the west side of the park.It looks big enough for 6 cars or so! Because of the flood zone it must remain a stone lot, but it looks great and will make it much more convenient to use the park. So thank you to the Village-AGAIN for being so generous.

The bench plaques are installed and look great! Thanks again for your generosity. For those who have donated for a loved one lost, we hope you can take some small comfort knowing they will be remembered by those who enjoy the park.

One of the benches is dedicated to “Ali and Angie” by the Klass Family. For those who dont know, Louann was a Klass and has 4 sisters. Tragically as they say, “fate is a cruel mistress”(unknown) and so it has sometimes been for the Klass family. Angie Rayle, of Leipsic, Pat (Klass) Mich’s and Forrest Rayle Jr’s, aka Woodsie, daughter died in a traffic accident in 1986, she was 17. There is no comfort in our shared loss. From our perspective these are wounds that time is incapable of healing. This bench however allows us to remember them together.

Our park signs are up! We continue to be appreciative for all who helped make this park possible.

Park usage remains steady, judging by the waste stations which we empty every ten days or so. We are thrilled! Please continue to post pictures if you are so inclined, it helps us more than you may realize, and it keeps the page active.

To the friends and family of Emma Niese, we extend our condolences for being forced to join others of us who have lost a child/friend/family member far too soon. It seems as if she and Ali were, in their love for dogs, kindred spirits. We thank you for your donations towards Ali’s Dog Park. We will use the money to memorialize Emma in some way and for other park expenses. Please follow this page for updates.

We have been repeatedly asked about donations to the park, we have tried to graciously decline as we are not set up to collect or keep donated funds. We hope you understand that it is not a rejection of your generosity but a resistance based upon logistics.

Thanks to all of you!

Mike and Louann

05/21/2024

THE PARK IS OPEN!

Signs are up, benches are in, water is on, and the grass is growing!

We have some additional signage for the entrance and the memorial plaques for the benches coming, a couple of waste stations to add yet, but Ali’s Dog Park is fully open. Please use and enjoy it!

Another shout out to the village maintenance guys, Don Croy/Croys Mowing, and Mike Petersen/PetersenWelding and Fabrication for your help!*

We are still contemplating a grand opening, and an eagle scout project this summer, so keep watching here for updates.

The genesis of this project was our unbearable loss, but creating the park in Ali’s honor has in some small ways helped. The love and support we have received from family, friends, and the community has helped a little bit more. We take our comfort where we can find it.

Thank you to all!

Mike and Louann

*and Bonehead

05/10/2024

PUPDATE! (I know, I know…)

The park will be fully open for Memorial Day Weekend!

The seeding is going well, some bare spots will likely remain but the overall health of the grass is much better! Thank you Croy’s Mowing!

We have been glad to see that the small side has continued to be used during the grass repair.

The Village maintenance crew has installed 5 benches! We have 3 more already committed and 2 more spoken for, which will be the limit for now as we assess the space/usage etc. Thanks to the Village maintenance guys!

I have delivered the information to Beckman’s to begin the dedication plaques. Thanks Greg, and Beckman’s for your generosity.

The water is on! Which is great news as the summer heat approaches. The spigots look pretty rough and we are in communication with the vendor about that. Please make sure you turn the water fully off when you fill the bowls which someone has graciously placed in the park.

The signs will be up soon, as will hopefully the leash holder.

We will be installing two additional waste stations. We are thrilled with the curtesy of the users so far. We are hopeful that more stations will make it even easier to clean up after your dogs. Louann and I try to empty them every other week, usually on Monday evening. Feel free to let us know if they need emptying. Please use for dog waste only!

We are anticipating an Eagle scout project will be completed over the summer which will add something for the dogs to play on. We are going to try it on the big dog side first to see if its practical for the smaller side. Thank you Owen Horstman and his family.

We have some vendors wanting to do events at the park which we are hoping to be able to do, so watch for news on those possibilities.

The Village has agreed to establish some parking along Maple Street (The road immediately west of the dog park). They are planning for diagonal parking spots on both sides of Maple, which is or will be one way, they hope to get as many as 24 spots. This will be great for the river trails, soccer fields, dog park, and the little playground, and will relieve the congestion caused by the on the street parking.

The Village and its Greenspace Development Committee are doing great things to make this area more than just vacant land. The small playground, the trails along the river at Arrowhead Park, the soccer fields, as well as hopefully the dog park, have and will continue to bring joy and add value to our community. Please use these facilities and take pride in them, and if you are so inclined thank those who are working behind the scenes for the betterment of the Village.

Thank you all for your continued support and for using the park!

Mike and Louann

04/09/2024

The large side of the dog park has now been reseeded and will be closed until Memorial Day weekend. The small area is still open and can be used for all dogs.

We hope to have the benches in by Memorial Day as well.

04/05/2024

Benny loving the park today!!

03/25/2024

Max enjoying Ali's Dog Park on this beautiful afternoon!!

02/11/2024

DOG PARK UPDATE!

If the amount of p**p in the waste stations is any indication, it seems the park is a tremendous success! (Thank you to all for keeping the park clean!)

Beyond that, we frequently see multiple dogs running in the park which is heartwarming to Louann and I and the rest of our family. Please continue to use and enjoy the park it means alot to all of us. We also love the pictures so please keep posting them, especially first time users.
That is the great news…..

Unfortunately, the not so great news, is that the park is falling victim to its own success. The warmer temps, unfrozen and damp ground have resulted in significant loss of grass to both sides from the dogs playing.

Don Croy, my grass whisperer, advises me to close one side at a time for 45-60 days to reseed and establish new grass. Sadly we agree. If we dont keep the park healthy it wont be useful to anyone. So our tentative plan is to close the big side beginning in early March, seed it, and reopen at the end of April or early May. The small side would stay open for use. We will then reverse the process in the fall, closing the small side for reseeding. Sorry, we just dont see any other options.

During this partial closure we will ask big dog owners to be mindful of small dogs who may be using the temporarily shared space. We want all to enjoy the park.

Hopefully this will also give the village freedom to install the water, and benches….

SPEAKING OF BENCHES…..

We are ready to install benches. We have commitments for 4 benches already and believe the park can comfortably hold four more, 2 inside and 2 outside the west boundary. While we may eventually feel there is room for more, we dont want to clutter up the park, and impact its usefulness.

The Village has a bench donation program. The benches are identical to those at the Rex. The cost is $400.00. If you are interested in donating a bench to a loved one or on behalf of your organization, go to the Village’s website print out and complete the form. PLEASE RETURN THE FORM TO MIKE OR LOUANN BORER at 177 Eastowne Drive Ottawa. We intend to take the first 4 who reply. We dont want to make the Village responsible for the selection/rejection process. Any application which is not accompanied by a check will be discarded If we have more than 4 requests, the 5,6 etc will be contacted and the check returned. We will however keep the form in case it seems ok to add more or we come up with a different “thing” to donate.

We will be installing the sign below. One directly across from the car wash exit, the other on the southwest corner along 3rd Street.

A couple of boy scouts have contacted us about possible eagle scout projects, we are trying to find a way to help them help us. More on that when we have a better idea what the park can hold.

Beckman Jewelers will be donating the plaques on all donated items. Thanks Greg!

Ottawa Veterinary Clinic is donating 2 additional waste stations, we want them to be as convenient as possible. Thanks To Ron and his staff, for taking care of our dogs, and the donation.

We have been contacted with some other ideas and may have some events at the park once it reopens, so please keep following us here for information.

This has been an enjoyable thing for us, and it helps us in a small way to know it is bringing joy to so many dogs. Ali would be thrilled! Bear with us as we do our best to keep it a park the Village and dog owners can be proud of.

Mike and Louann

01/21/2024

Skyla enjoying the dog park!

12/30/2023

There have been some questions about rules at the park. The temporary rules sign posted below is at the entrance. We are consulting with the Village to see if they have any additional requirements.

There has also been a question about designation of one side for small dogs. The smaller side is intended for use by smaller and senior dogs. If you have a smaller or senior dog use your own judgment. However we are asking that big dogs use the larger side exclusively, this will ensure that all the dogs have a safe place to run and play.

I can visualize my son’s 90 pound lab puppy and Ali’s 60 pound dogs colliding with a 12 pound Lhasa Apso in their exuberance. We want all the dogs that use the park to be free to run and play and the owners to be comfortable in bringing them.

Mike and Louann

12/22/2023

Fun day at Ali’s Dog Park!

12/21/2023

We would love to see pictures of your pups enjoying Ali's Dog Park!! Please feel free to add them by going to the Dog Park page, clicking the "Mentions" tab (see attached photo), and adding your pics there! Thanks everyone!!!

12/19/2023

THE DOG PARK IS OPEN!!!!

We were fortunate to avoid any significant rain or snow fall, so the dog park is officially open!

The ground is soft and there are some muddy areas around the posts and the entrance where all the work took place. The small dog section sustained more damage, but is still usable. Just be mindful when you go back to grandma and grandpa’s house on Christmas!

Parking is on the side of either Perry or Third Streets. The entrance is on the north side of the park adjacent to the alley. Please don't park in the alley as it is a public right of way.

Give our trees a chance! Try to keep your dogs from digging near them.

More waste stations are planned but for now there are three installed, please make use of them.

We ask that you observe the park rules which are posted at the entrance.

We will have a formal dedication in the spring once we have signage and benches in place, but for now we are thrilled to welcome you to use and enjoy Ali’s dog park.

Merry Christmas!

Mike and Louann

Thanks again to:
The Village, Mayor Meyer and Council
The Village maintenance staff
Barb Hermiller Village Clerk-Treasurer
Greg Bockrath with Bockrath and Associates
John Recker with AEP
Dave Spurgeon with Brightspeed
D&M Fencing
POET
Michelle Hermiller
Putnam Pet Pals
The Village tree committee
Don Croy/Croy’s Mowing

12/16/2023

Dog Park Update

To all:

Great news! The fence is installed!!

Thats the good news. The bad news is that the warmer temps have led to softer ground which in turn has led to damage to the ground and grass inside the park. While we have a plan to fix it, the ground will need some time to heal and new grass to grow. We will address this as soon as we can but it may impact spring usage of the park.

We are hopeful that the ground will harden sufficiently to allow the park to be open for Christmas weekend. It wont be “ready” but it may be useable. We have installed pet waste stations and have a temporary rules sign posted. We will post an update here as we assess the conditions.

PLEASE NOTE: The maintenance fence, south side of park, is not currently locked! Don Croy/Croys mowing may be trying to get a jump on ground repair if the weather permits. All locks will be in place by Christmas weekend

We will be posting information here about bench donations/purchases after the first of the year. We need to figure out how many and where before we commit to that.

We continue to be blessed with tremendous cooperation from the Village, its maintenance staff, and of course Barb. The Ottawa tree committee has generously donated trees that will one day offer shade. We have also been approached by numerous vendors willing to assist us in this project. The people at D&M fence were wonderful to work with. Thank you to all!

For us it will be another Christmas where our family is no longer whole. Working on this project has been, in some ways, cathartic as we do our best to honor our Ali.

Merry Christmas to all! We hope the holiday season brings peace and joy to your household and family.

Mike and Louann

P.S. Check back late next week for updates on the parks availability for Christmas weekend.

10/10/2023

ALI’S DOG PARK

To our family and friends and all of you who remember Ali:

If you knew Ali you know that she had a tremendous love for dogs. If you were with her someplace and heard a dog barking nearby, at some point she would be gone and you could find her by following the sound of the bark, where she would be hoping she could pet the dog, or all the dogs. It is in that spirit, and in honor of her love of dogs, that Louann and I have committed to this project.

We thought it was time to update everyone on the status of Ali’s dog park.

In cooperation with the Village of Ottawa we have ordered the fencing and anticipate its installation in December.

The park will be located on the northwest corner of West Third and North Perry Streets. It will consist of a big dog, larger area, with a separate small dog area as well.

We are working with the Village to install water to each park, that is a work in progress but with any luck that will be finished by spring.

We have been blessed to have the amazing support, and friendship, of Barb Hermiller the Ottawa Village Clerk. Barb is a lifelong friend of Louann’s, and ours since high school. We couldn't have done any of this without her support and guidance. The maintenance workers with the Village have been equally supportive and enthusiastic in getting us to this point.

Greg Bockrath of Bockrath and Associates has put our thoughts on paper with his renderings and has navigated for us the FEMA application process. Without him we would be nowhere.

Thanks to Michelle, we also want to thank the folks at POET who have awarded us a $500.00 grant towards the project. We plan to use that for the purchase of dog waste stations in the park.

Putnam Pet Pals and Lynne Hirzel have also supported us through this process.

It has been nearly 18 months since we lost Ali, while the pain of the loss has not and will never diminish, the time that has intervened has helped us to accept our new reality, no matter how badly we wish we didn’t have to. But we do. As part of this acceptance, we have started to re-engage with the world and have found, to no surprise, tremendous support among our family and friends, and within the community.

We have often been asked about the park and what people could do to help. To this point Louann and I have committed to doing this on our own. We wanted to avoid grappling with different ideas, no matter how well intentioned. This is our tribute to our Ali.

Once the park is ready to go, hopefully by early spring, we will be looking at benches and picnic tables for people to use to relax while the dogs play. We will at that point gladly accept the generosity which has been offered to purchase benches and tables, which can be memorialized to your loved ones, if you choose. We will keep you up to date on this page as the park gets closer to the finish line.

She is with us every day, we hope, no matter where you live in the county, you will use the park often, in doing so you will honor and remember her in the best way possible.

Mike & Louann

Ali’s Dog Park