Local resident Cassie Koopmans has found a nifty way to bring residents together through the love of their pets.
Koopmans created a quaint dog bar in Fairland Park situated on Kessel Street, and will host the second annual Fairland Dog Walk and Show on 23 October.
The dog bar was created to bring the community into the park where they could socialise with one another and bring their pets. Equipped with a water station and various donated dog toys in coloured containers attached to a tree, the dog bar also boasts a small board for notifications.
“People leave messages of positivity on the board such as ‘Thank you’, ‘This is so sweet’ and ‘Woof’,” Koopmans jokingly added.
Initially, Koopmans would buy the toys needed for the bar until more people started to donate their old toys. “Some even bought goodies from shops and donated them to the bar.”
The community has slowly come together from this initiative and daily there are people at the park enjoying a great time with their ‘best friends’. The dog bar has come to be a sort of social enhancer within the Fairland community and strangers become neighbours who eventually become friends, as they find their similarities go beyond just having a dog as a pet.
Koopmans now looks forward to hosting the Fairland Dog Walk and Show. Previously the show raked in about half a ton of dog food and this year, she hopes to surpass last year’s achievements.
The event is free and residents are asked to donate dog food.
“We want more people to come and join in on the fun.”
All donated food will go to Pets (Pet Empowerment in Townships)
Details: www.pets.org.za
