NILES — After less than a year of organizing, raising funds and rallying fellow dog loves, Katrina Andrews will open Niles’ first ever dog park this Saturday.

A grand opening ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at Ruff & Tumble Dog Park, 950 Bond St. The roughly one-and-a-half-acre park is located in South Riverfront Park at the site of the dam.

To celebrate the dog park, the Four Flags Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting ceremony. In addition to letting their pooches run free in the new park, there will be several other festivities to commend the occasion and make a final push to raise donation funds.

A pet photographer will take pictures and donate all proceeds back to the park. There will be a question and answer booth, where pet owners can ask an expert behavior questions about their dog, as well as a dog adoption event. The first 25 dogs at the park will get a free gift. A silent auction will also take place.   

“I think the excitement has been building for so long that it will feel like a party,” Andrews said. “People have been waiting for this.”

Andrews is the owner of Andrews’ Tax X Accounting and has two dogs, Roo and Rowan, who help to serve as office ambassadors by greeting customers. She first began planning for the dog park in September. After getting permission from the city to use the property for the project, she has collaborated with a group of about a dozen volunteers. On Saturday, she will finally get to see the end product of that hard work. 

“It feels really incredible,” Andrews said. “All the volunteers are working really hard this week, we are getting the signs up, getting the poop stations up, trimming the trees. The city has also helped to clean up the park.”

Her hard work is not quite over yet, though. Andrews still has about $7,000 to raise if she wants to make it to her goal of $35,000 and raise enough to secure a matching grant from Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Andrews must raise the remaining funds by Monday or she will lose the matching grant.

To help her get a little closer to that goal, Tim Brown, the funeral director of Brown Funeral Home, is pledging to donate $1,000 each year for the next five years to the park. Brown’s contribution raises the park’s funds to $28,000.

Andrews said she was not surprised the local business owner made a contribution to the park.

“I am so thankful,” Andrews said. “He is a pillar to the community.”

While Brown said he knows the park will serve the Niles community, he could also see it benefitting his own four-legged friend, Sir Winston Bailey Brown, a 2-year-old golden retriever.

Brown adopted Sir Winston to serve as a therapy dog at the funeral home. Since his arrival, Sir Winston has been a comfort to those that visit the funeral home, as well as Brown’s staff.

Sir Winston is often busy attending to families’ emotional needs, but like all dogs, he needs a chance to play.

“Other than going for a walk, there is not really a place that’s compatible for him to go and run,” Brown said. “The dog park will be a great opportunity for him to go and to have some playtime with other dogs. Even though he is a working dog and a service dog, every dog likes to run and play.”

As far as the progress for the park, the fence was installed last week and the gates were put up Tuesday. Within the next three weeks, Andrews is hoping to install agility equipment, water fountains and benches for people and pets. With the aim to make the park a place where dog owners can become educated for how to better care for their pets, Andrews is also planning to host several future events, about training, adoption events and other pet related topics.

While there is still money to be raised, Andrews said she is confident that her community will come through to bring in the remaining $7,000. With so many community businesses and residents stepping up to contribute funding, Andrews said she is grateful and glad to help provide a park to residents.

“I have been so blessed by this is my community,” Andrews said. “I was born here, I was raised here and my clients have provided me a great living, which I appreciate. I know Tim Brown does so much for the community. I feel most alive when I am conduit to give back. So, this is just so much fun.”

To help, residents can still contribute donations view the dog park’s website at patronicity.com/project/ruff__tumble_dog_park_1#!.