A visitor to the Buck Fund Dog Park recently asked me to provide additional information about the Buck Fund.
They knew the Buck Fund was associated with the dog park but wanted to know more about how community members can support the Buck Fund and what the Buck Fund does for animals. The H. Dale Buck Animal Welfare Memorial Fund, commonly known as the Buck Fund, was named after the brother of Dorothy Matile, who started the fund after her brother died.
The Buck Fund has been involved in many projects related to animal welfare. The Buck Fund donated money for two dog runs at the Emporia Animal Shelter and assists the shelter in transporting animals out of town to shelters.
The Buck Fund did raise the funds necessary to build the dog park located at 2920 West 24th Ave. The land, known as Dryers Park, is owned by the city, but the Buck Fund raised the funds to provide the fencing needed to transform the open area into a safe place for dogs to play and run.
“It’s a city park, but we buy the poop bags,” Kelley said. “Years ago, we raised all the money for the fencing, that’s why we got to name it the Buck Fund Dog Park. We opened in 2006.”
(Read more: Emporia Gazette)