Tail-Wagging Improvements Coming Soon to Hammel Woods Dog Park

WILL COUNTY, IL - A newly awarded grant will make way for improvements to an expansive nearby dog park — a favorite among area pups.

PetSafe, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based pet products company, has awarded the Forest Preserve District of Will County a $10,000 grant to better Hammel Woods Dog Park, 23435 Black Road in Shorewood. The money is part of the company's 2017 Bark for Your Park program, which provides funds to build, enhance or maintain off-leash dog parks around the country.

"We are very appreciative of this grant, and we applaud the company for its efforts to create pet-friendly communities," said Ralph Schultz, the forest preserve's chief operating officer.

The money will help pay for a new 2.3-acre small-dog enclosure adjacent to the original 8.5-acre Hammel Woods Dog Park, which opened in 2002. The district also will add a shade shelter to the dog park and a drinking fountain in the preserve. All work is scheduled to begin in September.

PetSafe received 215 Bark for Your Park grant applications in 2017, and the Forest Preserve was one of only 25 award recipients announced this week. The company has helped fund 64 off-leash dog parks in 40 states since 2011.