DUNCAN – Some people in Duncan really know how to keep a secret. That’s how Floyd and Patty Wininger were kept in the dark about renaming the city’s new dog park in honor of the couple’s son, Jack Wininger who died in 2019. His mother, Patty, said Jack was born and raised in Duncan and “was a lover of all things dogs.”
The dog park idea was conceived after the Winingers, who travel extensively to other parts of the state and nation, noticed similar parks in other areas.
“It’s been a vision of ours,” said Patty Wininger, Duncan’s Ward 2 councilwoman. “We chose one of the existing parks because of its size and amenities. Then we started doing our research about what people wanted in a (dog) park.”
Wininger and dog park supporters canvassed neighbors in the area and met with the city’s Parks Board. Finally, construction began in 2019 and was finished earlier this year when the first ribbon cutting was held. The dog park is located in Playday Park, 15th and Cypress.
Without telling the Winingers, a second ribbon cutting and sign unveiling was scheduled and the Winingers were invited to present information about the park, but they remained unaware of the real reason. When the coverings were pulled down, the longtime Duncan volunteers saw for the first time that the dog park had been named the Jack Wininger Dog Park in honor of their late son.
A speechless Councilwoman Wininger was moved to tears, she said. “They did a marvelous job keeping it a secret because we drive by there about every other day checking on the dog park, but we had been busy and hadn’t gone by while they were putting up the new sign with our son’s name on it.”
Nate Schacht, Duncan’s community development director, said the surprise rededication occurred Sept. 11, about three months after the initial ribbon cutting.
“Keeping it secret was difficult because Patty and Floyd are such a big part of the community,” he said. “They were overwhelmed as the kindness the community had shown them.”
Funds for the dog park was raised, in large part, from private donations because the dog park advocates “didn’t want to burden taxpayers,” Schacht said. Fundraising started in July 2019 and the group had enough by Thanksgiving 2019 to proceed with construction. The only expenses incurred by the city was the purchase and installation of the dog park fences.
Since its opening, the dog park has been used extensively by Duncan residents.
“The people who use it are very respectful and generally leave it in better shape than before they arrived,” Schacht said. “You might see 15 dogs playing at any given time and there’s never less than four or five. We’ve been trying as a city to listen to residents about what they want as amenities, and this (dog park) was one of them.”
The dog park amenities include three fire hydrants, water fountains that serve humans and dogs, and an obstacle course for the four-legged creatures. The park, which covers about an acre, is divided into sections for small dogs and large dogs. Waste Connections donated three pooper scooper stations and the Duncan Rotary Club donated the large water fountain in front.
Cameras and lighting have been added for security purposes.
Patrons are asked to clean up after their dogs and to keep the animals on leashes coming and going from the park. Dogs are required to have their vaccinations and tags when visiting the park. Animal owners must accom- pany their dogs when inside the park.