PET PARADE AND PARK DRAW IN DOG LOVERS
MENDOCINO, CA >> At noon on Saturday, May 28, dozens of dog owners and their pets gathered on the baseball diamond of Friendship Park for the second annual Pet Parade. The threat of rain brought out canopies for registration, the lunch serving table, and a third one on the pitchers' mound for the emcee. Otherwise, everyone was prepared for misty weather. The dogs needed no encouragement to prance around the bases. They excitedly spotted many new canines to meet and greet. It was a dog lover's casual summit, but the small dog park dedication afterward became a poignant symbol of human resolve in the face of adversity.
The event was also a fundraiser for the Mendocino Community Center on School Street. Tucked in the back, between Friendship Park and the Community Center, is Mendocino's official Dog Park which was recently updated and is now maintained by local citizens who are regular users. Within this group were a couple of dog owners who saw the possibility in a small piece of unused ground at the back of the parking lot for the Community Center and the park. To walk from the parking lot to the dog park, one would go right past this junky, overgrown area. Why not a smaller dog park for smaller or shy dogs?
Two self-described “dog buddies,” Gwen Seymour and Scott Shepley, committed themselves to secure this small area. The original dog park had been long ago established. The property of land, buildings, and parking lot, all next to Friendship Park, was owned by the Mendocino Unified School District. The school district's Board of Trustees gave Seymour and Shapley their approval to rent and improve upon the small piece of ground to create a play park for small dogs. Earlier, extensive fundraising to improve the original dog parks in both Mendocino and Fort Bragg had been quite successful.
For the first two dog parks, Shapley described how Paulson
Excavatin zg had donated $30,000 worth of work for all three parks. Rossi Building Materials had donated all the lumber, including pressure-treated boarding at the base of the fencing to keep the wood chips from spilling out. Redwood Roofers had given a check for $8,000 which purchased the first load of chips. Rummage sales had brought in a significant amount of money as well. Momentum then drove continuous random donations of cash from the public, enough to ensure upkeep. The two dog parks are now often highly praised. Clearly, Shapley and Seymour had the experience and connections to create a dog park one more time.
This time, it was their own money and effort along with donated excavation resources that developed the ground into a play area. Shapley looks at the personal financial hit as what parents do for their children. “It's like kids' sports,” he said. “The parents supply all the gear for their kids.” His reasoning, affirmed by Seymour, is gracious. Neither of them owns a small dog. However, someone important in Gwen Seymour's life had owned a series of miniature schnauzers— her mother, Sally Noguchi, who had been raised in the North Bay Area. Seymour obtained permission from the school board to name the new park “Mrs. Noguchi's Small Dog Park.” Her reason goes far beyond a mother who loved small dogs.
During World War II, at the age of fourteen, Sally Noguchi's family was sent to the Amache Internment Camp in Colorado. Seymour described her mother as scarred by that experience. Forty years went by before victims and relatives spoke or wrote publically about what really happened in those camps. “She was shy, reticent, and very fearful,” said Seymour. Her father was outgoing in spite of his own camp experience, but her mother, said Seymour, “always needed a buffer and the dogs would fill that role.” Out in public, curious people would ask about her mother's dogs, opening the door for conversation. Only late in life, when reparations were offered to survivors of those camps, would Sally Noguchi find a little freedom from her latent fears. In naming the park, Seymour said, “I thought it was timely to be reminded there are victims of war because of the political climate we're in right now; the wars and current events are so tragic.”
According to Gwen Seymour, and confirmed by Scott Shapley, she has been a victim of Asian-american acts of hate. Since the spread of the COVID pandemic in the United States, Seymour has faced abuse in Fort Bragg and the village of Mendocino. “I've experienced some really bad stuff,” she said. She has been slapped, sat on, punched, and spit upon. Shapley described a beating Seymour suffered in the Safeway parking lot in Fort Bragg. In Mendocino, she was deliberately hit by a truck while walking her dog. “We all feel we're in this safe, little bubble,” she said. “We're not. There are a lot of issues here.”
At the dedication, before she cut the ribbon to open the dog park, surrounded by parade participants and friends, Gwen Seymour spoke directly about humanity's flaws so prevalent then and now. The charming gated entry, the wood fencing, and the artful front landscaping sat ready to greet every human and canine visitor. Uncomfortable as a public speaker, Gwen's voice was steady and clear as she spoke these words. “I think Sally would like us to take away this message today. To act when we witness injustice. To comfort when we witness pain. To love when we witness hatred. To seek harmony when we witness violence. Our pets bring out the best in us. Let's live our best every day.”