Woman’s Dream of Dog Park Now a Reality – New Facility Opens in Farmville

By Crystal Vandegrift, Staff Writer

Three years ago Cristine Voitko of Farmville started a Facebook page to see if there was interest in having a dog park in the town. Little did she know that the simple construction on a Facebook page would lead to the real construction of a dog park.

After much work and many donations, the Town of Farmville has completed a dog park, located on North Virginia Street adjacent to the DMV building.

“I was in tears that so many people showed interest by just starting a Facebook page,” said Voitko.

Voiko, who owns a large Husky named Max, said that even though she has land large enough for him to run on she realized that those living in the town have nowhere for their dogs to run and play. “Not everyone has a fenced in yard,” she added.

Currently, there is a tenth of an acre that is being utilized for the park and there are areas for both large and small dogs, as well as watering stations.”

Just a few weeks ago the dog park was completed and was opened for use. There are plans to have a grand opening of the park shortly.

The park has also been named in memory of Dr. Erica D. Geary, a veterinarian who worked at Ridge Animal Hospital in Farmville. Dr. Geary died in a vehicle accident earlier this year.