Online votes boost Hollister’s 1-in-10 chance at the prize
The Hollister Dog Owners Group has long had a vision of what a
dream dog park would be
– complete with double-gated entrances, areas for small and
large dogs, a fire hydrant water fountain, swimming pools and more.
But with limited funds in the city and reliance on donations from
canine-friendly residents, movements to open a dog park in a
fenced-in area near the Hollister Airport h
ave been slow moving.
Tammy Ballew and the other board members are hoping to speed
things along if they win $500,000 in the Beneful brand dog food
WagWorld dream dog park contest, in which Ballew and her dog Bailey
are finalists. Out of 65 entries, the Hollister Dog Park was
selected as one of the top 10 entries to compete for the
half-a-million-dollar prize.
”
One of the board members for the club saw it on a website,
”
Ballew said.
”
She forwarded it out to us and we thought we would give it a
try.
”
Online votes boost Hollister’s 1-in-10 chance at the prize
The Hollister Dog Owners Group has long had a vision of what a dream dog park would be – complete with double-gated entrances, areas for small and large dogs, a fire hydrant water fountain, swimming pools and more. But with limited funds in the city and reliance on donations from canine-friendly residents, movements to open a dog park in a fenced-in area near the Hollister Airport have been slow moving.
Tammy Ballew and the other board members are hoping to speed things along if they win $500,000 in the Beneful brand dog food WagWorld dream dog park contest, in which Ballew and her dog Bailey are finalists. Out of 65 entries, the Hollister Dog Park was selected as one of the top 10 entries to compete for the half-a-million-dollar prize.
“One of the board members for the club saw it on a website,” Ballew said. “She forwarded it out to us and we thought we would give it a try.”
The first round of the competition included an application process that required a 100-word essay and a two-minute video that explains how the money would be used to improve “your daily adventure with your dog.” All four board members collaborated on the essay and video, even though the contest requires entries from individuals rather than organizations. Ballew and her dog are the official entrants in the contest and are featured in the video.
“We showed basically the fact that we don’t have anything,” she said.
In the video, which can be viewed online, where people can vote daily until Aug. 11 for the Hollister park, the videographer merges the real footage with a few artistic renderings of what the park could look like. The drawings show the fire hydrant fountain, dog swimming pools shaped as bones as well as some topiaries in the shape of dogs.
Ballew received an e-mail July 9 that she had made the finals, but according to competition rules, she had to keep the information under tight wraps for a week.
“We were so excited,” Ballew said. “I think we were all at work when the e-mail came through that we made the finals, but we couldn’t tell anyone. I screamed out so loud that I scared the daylights out of our boss. I kept text message and telling everybody.”
The finalists will be judged based on creativity of the idea to enhance the daily adventure with the dogs; feasibility of bringing the idea to life; and effectively demonstrating how life is better together with your dog. The online votes account for as many as 10 points in the competition.
The winner of the contest will be announced in September.
Ballew emphasized that the dog park is still moving forward, even as they wait for the results of the competition.
She said the city has allocated $30,000 for the park that will cover switching sprinklers over to reclaimed water, fencing and some pathways.
“It won’t cover benches or other fancy things,” Ballew said. “We will be seeking donations for that – unless we have $500,000.”
HDOG has hosted fundraiser, including the second Dog Days of Hollister Dunne Park to help with their efforts. The members have also been collecting the names of people who want to sponsor a bench or tiles for the fountain.
“It is coming along,” she said. “I know it seems like a slow process, but that is how it is working with the city – the research that has to take place and the liability. But there is not a month that goes by that something isn’t actually happening.”
People can vote once per day through Aug. 11, and the first 10,000 voters are eligible for a free dog toy.
