• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

New park in Darien Township is dogs' delight

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

Town of Darien farmer Wes Hopkins shows off the new dog park he has created on 40 acres near Highway 11 just west of Delavan. Wesminster Farms dog park has nearly 1 mile of easy walking trail, seating scattered throughout, and plenty of room for active dogs to run.

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

Although much of the acreage of the new Wesminster Farms dog park near Delavan in unmowed, owner Wes Hopkins has also created a nearly one mile trail for easy walking. The trail spends part of it's length along the banks of Turtle Creek.

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

Jazmyn, a German Shepherd, gazes out at the world from a wheat field in the Wesminster Farms dog park west of Delavan. Thanks to her owner, Town of Darien farmer Wes Hopkins, Jazmyn has a new 40 acre playground to run in and meet new friends.

DARIEN TOWNSHIP — If you like chasing birds and chewing sticks, Wes Hopkins has a park for you.

Other activities include swimming in a slightly green pond and panting.

Hopkins has created a private dog park on 40 acres of his farm on Highway 11 near Old Highway 89 about five minutes west of Delavan.

The project has brought him joy, Hopkins said.

Hopkins was working in a field along the edge of the city of Delavan when he saw a person walking a dog. Hopkins turned to his 2-year-old German shepard, Jazmyn, who is free to run while Hopkins does field work.

"I said, 'Wouldn't it be cool if they could run around without a leash like you, Buddy?'" Hopkins said. "I slept on it a little and thought, 'Maybe I could make that happen for our community.'"

Hopkins started by talking to local veterinarians. He posted fliers and sent out questionnaires to find out what local dog owners wanted in a park, said Christine Croswell with the Delavan Animal Clinic, W7702 Highway 11, Delavan.

Hopkins takes Jazmyn to the clinic.

"He put a lot of thought into it and tried to get the community's opinion," Croswell said. "It seems like he's doing the right thing."

For a $200 annual fee, dog owners can have daily access to "Wesminster Farm." Hopkins requires visiting dogs to be current on their vaccinations.

Hopkins has been working since the ground thawed to get it ready for last week's opening.

A wood chip path wraps around a yellow-green field of winter wheat. A small sinkhole pond has water for swimming during most of the year.

Hopkins has placed benches and picnic tables along the path and in the clearing along Turtle Creek.

Between the creek and the wheat are filter strips of native wildflowers and grasses.

The strips keep soil from running from the field into the creek.

Hopkins has planted tiny hardwoods and Fraser firs in rows in a field of red clover. Someday, the firs will be Christmas trees.

"I've been farming my whole life," Hopkins said. "I've been taking down fence lines my whole life. When I cleared the land about 10 years ago, I thought, "Let's start doing some things to protect Mother Earth."

A side benefit is the happiness of the local dog owners, Hopkins said.

"I have had an outpouring of people with gratitude," Hopkins said. "Coming from the farm community, you don't get judged too much unless you judge yourself. But 70, 80, 90 people have contacted me about this, and their gratitude is overwhelming.

"If they only could bottle that and release it to people who need it."

Humans aren't the only ones who are happy. Jazmyn and her friend, Pheebe, a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever, recently took the Gazette on a tour of the park.

The pair were the picture of joy as they chased swallows through the winter wheat. It looked like a delicious game, although the dogs had no chance of catching the little birds.

Croswell said it makes sense that Hopkins has created a place dogs love.

"He's devoted to Jazmyn," Croswell said. "Basically, he's given her 50 acres and invited all her friends over."