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Oakland Man's Middle School Dog Park Dream Honoring Late Mom Comes True

An Oakland man's dream of opening a dog park to honor his late mother is finally coming to true after 11 years in the making.

Ryan Schwertfeger was in eighth grade when he came up for the idea of a dog park in Oakland with his mother, Jill. The park is set to open and honors Jill, who has since passed away.

Ryan Schwertfeger was in eighth grade when he came up for the idea of a dog park in Oakland with his mother, Jill. The park is set to open and honors Jill, who has since passed away.

Photo Credit: Ryan

Ryan Schwertfeger was in eighth grade when he came up for the idea of a dog park in Oakland with his mother, Jill.

Schwertfeger, now 25, decided to continue the project in an effort to honor the memory of his mother, who died of cancer in 2012. 

He raised more than $37,000 in cash as well as $48,000 in pledged donations and recently received approval for the park from the Oakland Town Council.

Jill came up with the idea for a dog park after rescuing their dog, Scooby. They had been driving to Ridgewood to access the park, and told him Ryan should try bring one to Oakland.

More than 11 years later, the finish line is finally in sight, thanks to $5,000 in pledged donations.

Schwertfeger has a goal of completing the park by August -- eight years after the death of his mother.

“I believe that with a little pressure from citizens, a good plan, and money through citizen donations and business and corporate sponsors; Oakland can have its own dog park that Oaklanders and residents from other towns will use helping the town as a whole,” Schwertfeger wrote on the Facebook page he created for the project.

Click here for more on the Jill Schwertfeger Memorial Dog Park.

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