By Mike Hazlip—
For more than two decades, the Pet Owners Organization of Citrus Heights, or POOCH, has been working to make local parks a better place one bark at a time.
The organization held a recent fundraiser and membership drive at C-Bar-C park, featuring homemade treats for dogs, and for people. POOCH’s vice president, Michelle Knotts, said her organization’s members and volunteers provided items for the bake sale, with proceeds going toward a new path at the park.
The organization is responsible for supplying and maintaining the off-leash dog parks at C-Bar-C, a feature that Knotts says wouldn’t be possible without the support of the members and the community.
“If it wasn’t for them, the dog park wouldn’t exist inside,” she said.
Among the amenities purchased by the organization are kiddie pools for both large and small dog parks as well as waste bags. The dog parks are free for anyone to use, although the cost of supplying the waste bags alone is about $4,000 annually, according to Knotts. The organization also provides chairs and shade structures for pet owners while they visit the park.
POOCH was founded the same year the city incorporated, 1997, and helped opened the off-leash dog park at C-Bar-C in 2000. The small dog section of the dog park opened a few years later in 2005 as “Buddy’s Park” in memory of Buddy, a Boston Terrier.
Proceeds from Saturday’s event will go toward an ADA compliant walking path to give people with disabilities a way to enjoy the dog park. A site plan for the project shows a path running through the parks within an existing fence.
Knotts said an estimate the group received more than a year ago was about $55,000 for materials. Sunrise Recreation and Parks District pays for the labor, in accordance with an agreement POOCH has with the district, she said.
Membership has dwindled in recent years due to relocation and health concerns, and the organization is actively seeking new members to fill their places.
“We desperately need some new member volunteers to become involved and help us with our fundraising events,” a brochure from the organization says.
In keeping with POOCH’s penchant for perfect puns, the organization’s last fundraiser at the tail end of the year will be their “pawsta dinner” at Orangevale Grange. Tickets are $15 for all you can eat spaghetti, and Knotts said they plan to provide beer and wine at the event.
C-Bar-C Park is located at 8275 Oak Ave., in Citrus Heights. The off-leash dog park area is open every day, from dawn to dusk with the exception of Thursdays when the dog park opens at 10 a.m. for park maintenance.
More information about the dog park and POOCH can be found on the organization’s Facebook group page where dog owners post photos of their pets and information is shared about related activities and plans for the dog park.
