Welcome to Willowtown's Friends of the Dog Run

March, 2023 Update - NYC Parks priced a total rehab of our dog run at $80k in 2019. Since then, we've raised a remarkable $10k thanks to your generosity! Parks' most recent survey has an inflated price tag that is about 10x the original, and no firm time table! With several estimates for different solutions in hand, we'd like your input to shape our path forward on this project. Spring 2023 is go time!

In mid-October, 2021, painted faces and panting pooches rolled in alongside dog owners and many generous donations as we celebrated our little corner dog run and raised money to rehabilitate its surface. Thank you donors and volunteers. We plan to break ground in Spring 2022.

We have just about reached our goal to resurface the dog run. Please join our group to participate in this rehabilitation process.

Woof! Woof!

donate now!

The dog run has fallen into disrepair. As a beloved park for the neighborhood, it must be restored to a cleaner, safer, more welcoming environment. Since 2017 we’ve been actively pursuing grants and a construction contract with NYC Parks (the landowner of the dog run) through their Adopt-a-Park program to rebuild and restore the dog run.

The project will cost $66,000 if we proceed through NYC parks’ preferred contractor. The city itself will not fund the rehabilitation. We’ve started fundraising through private and capital project donations, in addition to the multiple grant options. Presently, we are considering several DIY options that would require a substantially lower fundraising goal.

Please spread the word and consider making a generous and much-appreciated donation to the Willowtown Dog Run project! Donations of $10,000+ will be recognized with a NYC Parks sign at the park.

All donations are tax deductible.

Our Campaign

The Willowtown Association has been receiving emails from dog walkers, neighbors, and visitors of the Dog Run who are eager to join our “Friends of the Dog Run” campaign. To kick things off, the Willowtown Association won a City Parks Foundation Capacity Fund Grant to help create, support, and provide new tools and resources for a team of neighborhood stewards. The "Friends of the Dog Run" will work to organize regular volunteer clean-up days for sustainable maintenance, enhancement, and care for the dog run long term.

Dog Run Improvements

The Dog Run has in recent years fallen into disrepair and continues to be both an eyesore and potential health hazard to visiting canines and their owners. As a beloved neighborhood amenity, there's a growing need to restore it into a cleaner, safer, more welcoming environment. Willowtown is actively working with the city to replace the gravel surface that has deteriorated into an uneven field of mud, fix the faulty water spigot, and refurbish the existing benches that are sinking into the ground and splintering. Please join our efforts!

Get Involved

We are creating a welcoming dog run community and want to hear your ideas and suggestions. Please contact us below if you are interested in:

  • Joining the 65 other Friends of the Dog Run

  • Receiving campaign information or updates

  • Offering suggestions for improvement

  • Volunteering for cleanup efforts

Questions? Comments? Contact the Willowtown Dog Run Director by completing the form below: