A group of people formed a committee and soon there was the Friends of Union Square Dog Run. They set some guidelines for the usage of the run, begged for some donations and now our dog run has turned into an invaluable resource for many dog owners in Union Square and surrounding neighborhoods. In fact, about one hundred and fifty owners bring their dogs to the run on any given weekday and three hundred make their way there on Saturdays and Sundays.

As you might imagine, such a high volume of use
in such a small area of the park requires a large effort on the part of the dog run volunteers to maintain cleanliness, sanitation and appearance
of the run. Why, just to clean up all that dog poop costs over $1,300 a year! Every dollar spent to keep the Run open comes from the users and friends.

Thanks to these dog owners and admirers, the Parks Department, local veterinarians, and the help of business owners in and around the Park, the Union Square Dog Run currently has drainage, new benches, a new fence, a paved gate area, and a water source. In June, 2003 Friends of Union Square Dog Run installed a new surface and border in the run and in November of that year a new bulletin board was installed. It took three years but our renovation was finally complete.

However, our work was not over! The dog run is now completely maintained by volunteers. The dog owners keep this run running and we must now work hard to protect our investment. Remember, the park has lent us the space but that's where their commitment ends. The rest comes from us.

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