Yes, the park has been providing a wonderful environment for people and their pets for a whole year! We have seen thousands of visits, many friendships formed, puppies socialized, overenergetic dogs calmed (and their owners exceedingly grateful) - the park has become a popular public space where visitors from near and far enjoy nature and the company of dogs and dog-friendly people.

On Sunday, October 5, 2003, we had a celebration and dedication of a plaque acknowledging the town officials, contributing businesses, and the Hamden Responsible Dog Owners' Group (Hamden R-DOG), without whom the park would not exist. Pictures here.

We welcomed Mayor Carl Amento, who issued a Proclamation honoring the one-year anniversary of the park, and other town officials to our celebration. Also participating were the New Haven Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine, BarkBusters of Southern Connecticut, The Friends of New Haven Animal Shelter, The Hole Scoop icecream and donut store, Agway of North Haven, and Andrew Wallach Photography, among others. We thank all the many volunteers who baked, sewed, made jewelry, read tarot cards, and manned booths.

To raise funds we offered Dog Park T-Shirts, bandannas, home-made dog biscuits, frozen treats, etc., for sale. Several visitors made generous donations. Altogether we made $780 towards the ongoing expenses of the park.

We plan to fund a water faucet in the park next spring, and, if enough money is still available, a separate entrance to the small dog area.