Following an impressive community effort, Friends of the Guilford Dog Park has already reached its initial fundraising goal and, with money in the bank, the group may be able to open the park to dog lovers prior to the planned summer unveiling.

The Planning & Zoning Commission approved the park, which will cover approximately 1.5 acres on Nut Planes Road, in December 2015. Despite needing local government approval, the park expenses and maintenance will not be covered by the town, leaving community dog lovers to front the bill.

Guilford Dog Park Planning Committee leading members Catherine Kiernan Marganski and Jo-Anne Basile set an initial fundraising budget of $38,000, a number Kiernan Marganski said they hit quickly.

“We raised $41,000 in the 5 ½ weeks that we held fundraising events,” she said.

Fundraising events included “Yappy Hours”, the group’s signature event, which took place at several local businesses around town. A more recent fundraiser, the “Calling All Dogs” telethon at The Marketplace and dog parade, also helped to bring in considerable funds.

“Guilford was a buzz that day and certainly went to the dogs,” Kiernan Marganski said. “There was a dog rally on the corner of Boston and Whitfield, three people in dog costumes roamed the town and Green, passing cars were donating out their car windows to volunteers in the middle of the street, and a table was set up outside the Marketplace to catch this going by. There was even a dog parade at noon attended by over 200 dogs.”

Following a list of necessary safety and aesthetic needs for the park, all of the money raised will go toward installing and purchasing items for the park, according to Kiernan Marganski.

“The fence, bricks, benches, and other essentials have all been ordered for opening day,” she said. “People can continue to buy bricks, fence sections and benches (we need four more benches) and we will install them as soon as we can.”

After hitting its fundraising goal sooner than expected, the group is reconsidering the official opening date for the park, Kiernan Marganski said.

“We originally had sometime in June as our goal and it looks like we will be ready a lot sooner than that,” she said.

While the group is grateful for the amount of community support surrounding the park, Kiernan Marganski said it has urged them to reconsider the structure of the grand opening, which, given past participation, could overwhelm the Nut Plains Road site.

“We had originally planned on having a star-studded, red carpet grand opening, but then reality hit,” she said. “If we had 200 dogs show up for our parade, how many would come for opening day?”

To keep numbers reasonable, Kiernan Marganski said they will hold a smaller opening for involved volunteers and will then let the larger community know the park is open. Kiernan Marganski said she hopes this will also give people more time to get their dogs ready for the park.

“For those dogs who have never socialized in an off-leash environment with new dogs, we are suggesting that they go to Metro Pooch Day Camp for dogs for temperament testing and training,” she said. “They will work with your dog in a controlled off leash environment so that they are ready to run with the Guilford Dog Park Pack.”

Metro Pooch is a North Branford-based kennel, day care, and spa.

Following the new to-be-determined opening late this spring, Kiernan Marganski said the group will resume fundraising this summer to fund wish list items for the park, including a water pump and a paved walkway around the large dog park area.

For more information, visit www.guilforddogpark.com.