NEWFANE, N.Y. — The Town of Newfane will soon have a new dog park, thanks to one 7th grader with a big dream.
Sadie Gunby noticed that there wasn't a good place for dogs and their owners to play, so she wrote a letter to the town's supervisor, John Syracuse, pitching the idea of a town dog park.
Sadie said, "I saw dogs walking a lot down my street and saw other dog parks while on vacation and I thought why can't we have a dog park here?".
Syracuse reached out to Sadie to get the ball rolling and she was shocked, "I wasn't expecting all of this to happen so fast. I wasn't expecting to get immediate messages back from the town, and I've gotten so much help from the schools Leos club, my friends and basically a lot of people," Sadie said.
Syracuse and the town board decided that if they were going to go through with the project they wanted Sadie to be on the team. So she has been an active participant in the planning and fundraising.
"We are really seeing what she can do, and her talents and she's young, she's smart, she's strong, and she's doing it the right way," Syracuse said, "It's really a pleasure to see and get this encouragement from such a young individual and we are excited for her and for the town".
The dog park which they hope to open before Memorial Day 2025, will be dedicated to Harper, Sadie's dog that sadly passed away in 2022.
Sadie said, "We really loved her deeply and she sadly passed away in 2022, so I thought what a better way to remember her than a dog park,".
Sadie has received an outpouring of support from her friends, family and the community.
"It's really fun because sometimes when I hear people when they are talking about it, I'm just so happy that I'm doing this, it gives me like a good feeling," Sadie said.
Sadie's letter to town supervisor, John Syracuse, can be seen attached below.
