Teen Makes Walking Trails -- For Shelter Dogs

Just off Curtis Corner Road in South Kingstown, a set of woodchipped and stone slabbed paths run a peaceful course through the woods, offering a peaceful respite for homeless dogs waiting for forever homes.

The nature trails offer a chance for the dogs living at Animal Rescue Rhode Island and the volunteers who care for them a chance to get out and breathe some fresh air among the trees. And it’s all thanks to the hard work and determination of one 16-year-old local Boy Scout: Ryan Levy of Wakefield.

Levy, as part of his efforts to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout, designed a proposal for a series of trails on the wooded ARRI property.

On a recent Saturday in late October, he arrived with a group of volunteers and armed with donations from local businesses, they cleared brush, spread woodchips and built the trails.

A member of Boy Scout Troop 1 in Kingston, Levy was joined by friends, family, fellow Boy Scouts and other volunteers. He convinced Highland Farms and Clark Farms to donate 22 cubic yards of wood chips. Hope Depot stores in North Kingstown and Westerly threw in 60 stepping stones and Liberty Rentals handed over the keys to a wood chipper and branch-cutting tools to clear a route through the wood and dense brush.

A junior at The Prout School, Levy had spent time volunteering at the shelter a couple of years ago to fulfill a community service requirement while attending the Monsignor Matthew F. Clarke School.

“I remembered seeing the volunteers walk the dogs down to Curtis Corner Road, which can sometimes be very busy,” he said.

He had originally been planning to propose flower beds and other landscaping as his project, but ARRI Executive Director Tammy Walter suggested that walking trails would be more beneficial for the volunteers and the dogs, he said.

Levy visited the site a few times and took photographs to help with his trail design. On the weekend prior to the project, he and his father, James, spent time using chainsaws and a brush cutter to carve out the basic trails.

On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 24 (while ARRI’s “Bark on the Beach” was going on simultaneously at Narragansett Town Beach), Levy was joined by approximately 30 volunteers, who pitched in to rake and shovel woodchips along the trails and lay stone pavers that lead to the shelter’s doorways. He says he was pleased with the turnout and by how much was accomplished that Saturday.

“I had handed out flyers and knew of a couple of people going, but I wasn’t sure how many volunteers I would actually have,” he said.

“The walking trails and stone pathways not only enhance the ARRI property, but they provide a handy place for volunteers to walk our animals, “ Walter said. “We truly appreciate the efforts of Ryan, along with the numerous volunteers and business sponsors who helped make this project possible.”

“We can’t thank Ryan enough for thinking of ARRI for his Eagle Scout service project, as well as the volunteers and local business partners who donated their time and materials,” says ARRI Board President Douglas J. Rubinstein. “The shelter is already a model of modern day animal housing, and having these attractive walking trails right outside is an added bonus.”

As for Levy, who also runs cross country and track for Prout as well as referees youth soccer games and works at a local farm, he said he hopes to soon add Eagle Scout to his resume.

“I just have one more merit badge to obtain and I will be able to fill out the application paperwork,” he said.