Grand opening, charity benefit set for dog park
The Carden Farm Dog Park in South Clinton opened in early November 2021. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The events, which runs from 10 a.m., to 3 p.m., will include “K-9 demonstrations, vendor booths, food trucks, adoptable pets from local shelters and rescues, and affordable vaccinations and microchip insertions,” according to an announcement by the sponsors.
Joining the city of Clinton in sponsoring the event will be the Anderson County Animal Rescue Foundation and Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley.
Called the “Paws for a Cause Benefit,” proceeds from the events will be used to help “animals in need from our community,” the sponsors said. That includes veterinary care, pet food and other forms of pet help.
Among scheduled events will be a Clinton Police Department K-9 exhibition at 10:30 a.m.; and pet first aid and CPR demonstrations at 2 p.m.
The dog park in South Clinton officially opened last Nov. 5. Work began last summer on the park, off Carden Farm Road, on land along the Clinch River that the city obtained from the Tennessee Valley Authority more than two decades ago.
It includes fenced areas of about three acres for large dogs and two acres for small dogs. A road was built leading into the paved parking lot at the park’s entrance.
Mayor Scott Burton said the dog park is on a 17-acre tract the city got in a trade from TVA, and was mostly paid for by a $25,000 grant from the Randy Boyd Foundation in Knoxville.
“We’re also planning to put in a nine-hole disc golf course, which will eventually expand to 18 holes, and there will be walking trails throughout the property,” Burton said in November. “We’ll also look at putting in some pickleball courts.”
Clinton Recreation Director Jason Brown said there is a Kentucky split-rail fence around the dog park, which includes a common area at the entrance that gives access to the separate areas for large and small dogs.
There are water fountains for people and dogs just outside the entrance, along with a “frost-proof” water faucet people can use to wash their dogs down if they get too dirty in the park, Brown said.
“I even found an old fire hydrant that we’ve fixed up and painted candy-apple red to install in the common area,” he said. He said the hydrant is just for looks and for the dogs to – well, you know. It is not connected to a water line.
Each of the doggie areas has a small shelter with benches and sheet-metal roofs for shade, and some trees were planted “for natural shade.”
Part of the park area had been used for years by the city as the launch site for fireworks shows on Independence Day and other special times, Brown said.
Eventually, walking trails will go around the entire 17 acres, and will have a connector to the dog park area, Brown said. Part of the trail will follow the riverbank.
There are two benches for the dog park that were donated by the city’s 4-H clubs, which did a bottle-cap project that resulted in them getting the benches, made of recycled plastic, from a company in Indiana, Brown said.