Happy Tails to Tell: The Grand Opening of the East Haddam Dog Park

On Sunday afternoon, October 9th, a group of excited East Haddam K-9's and their families gathered at the newly opened East Haddam Dog Park for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, some fun-in-the-sun and a meet n' greet.

The new park, located adjacent to the East Haddam Town Beach at 291 East Haddam-Colchester Turnpike in Moodus, has been much anticipated and is now officially open. Other dog parks around the state have been quite successful and well-attended.

"I think this is great," said East Haddam resident Kathleen Klinck, "now we don't have to travel to Colchester to visit the park." Klinck and her daughter Katie brought their dog, Foxy, to check out the new facility.

A few years ago, in July of 2007, East Haddam resident Sue Reiter had originally initiated the idea of having a park like this in town, for dogs to have a safe place to exercise and play off-leash. "It's been worth the wait!," exclaimed Reiter, "I couldn't be happier!"

Tiffany Quinn, East Haddam Parks & Recreation Director, and First Selectman Mark Walter officially marked the opening of the park with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Quinn reminded the crowd of residents about the importance of having their dogs vaccinated and making sure they are healthy when coming to visit the park. 

Walter stated that "the town is excited to be able to support the dog park, and I hope it brings a lot of joy to all of the dog owners of East Haddam."

Ken Grohbrugge, who, along with his wife Judy, owns New Inn Kennels, LLC, a boarding and grooming facility located on Sheepskin Hollow Road in East Haddam, gave a short speech regarding the importance of learning your dog's body language and signals, so as to avoid any potential problems or aggressive behavior when socializing with other dogs at this facility. He cautioned owners of the need to be aware of any possible issues, before even entering the fenced-in areas.

"Take your time and observe your dog and how they react to the dogs who are on the other side of the fence when you first arrive. If there are ever any issues, don't be afraid to work together with the other dog owners to work it out," instructed Grohbrugge.

Dr. Lance McLean from the East Haddam Veterinary Clinic was on hand to talk about the importance of up-to-date vaccinations and routine health examinations for your dog, as well as maintaining a clean and healthy environment on the park grounds to prevent any spread of illness or disease. (Hint: 'Poop-Scoop Patrol')

"The fact that the town was able to get this park established is great and it will give townspeople the opportunity to exercise their dogs and let them play in a safe environment and in a positive way," said McLean.

Paul and Valerie Boothroyd, from the Moodus section of East Haddam brought their Chihuahua, Timmy, out to celebrate and meet some other dogs.

"We love the fact that the field is split into two areas, to separate large and small dogs. We're thrilled to see the park open and we found out about it this morning after seeing the on Patch!," exclaimed Valerie Boothroyd.

Pamela and Anthony Maros brought  Phargus, their 5-month-old Great Dane over to enjoy the festivities. "It's a great place to come and bring your dog to play 'off-leash'. No worries about the dangers of cars, and we think socialization is an important factor for our dog," they commented.

All of this said, the 'Patch Pup-a-razzi' couldn't resist stopping by for a photo-session and some observation and interaction with the local K-9 crowd and join in the celebration!

The park is a very 'paws-itive' place, not only for our dogs, but for East Haddam residents to have the opportunity to get together to socialize and share experiences and ideas with our neighbors and have some fun!

Any future questions, concerns, or ideas that come up regarding the use of the park should be directed to the Parks & Recreation Department at 860-873-5058 or emails can be sent to parkandrec@easthaddam.org.