Wiggly Field Dog Park has proved to be a popular hit with pups and people since opening last fall, and co-founders hope to make the park even better.

Fundraising is underway to add a dugout-style shelter at Wiggly Field, which is located at Homesteader Park in Powell. Keeping with the baseball theme, the dugout/shelter will feature two “player” benches measuring 8-feet each, where people can be protected from the sun/wind/rain/snow while their pets play and run in the park. The project is estimated to cost about $10,000.

The dugout/benches will complete the park’s second phase, said Tina Fagan, co-founder of Wiggly Field.

The initial fundraising goal for the construction of Wiggly Field was $35,149, and $26,291 has been raised — so the park is less than $10,000 from reaching its goal.

The community’s response to the new dog park has been “really positive all around,” Fagan said.

“People seem to really enjoy having a place to socialize, both their dogs and with other dog lovers and also to be able to let their dogs run free in a safe environment,” she said. “The only real negative has been that people need to be more diligent about picking up after their dogs.”

Usage of Wiggly Field has “absolutely exceeded expectations,” she added.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, numbers have gone down some, but overall, the park is well-used, Fagan said.

She and co-founders Judy Londo and Mandy Gutierrez “truly appreciate all of the positive response and support that we’ve gotten.”

“The City of Powell and the Parks Department have just been phenomenal to work with and we’re really happy that we could get it up and running in such a relatively short period of time,” Fagan said.

The dugout/shelter will be a three-sided block structure measuring 20-feet by 5-feet, located on the large cement pad by the entrance gates.

The third and final phase includes the addition of more play equipment, Fagan said.

“We have hopes of finding a local welder or welding class that we might be able to work with on some of that rather than purchasing the really expensive commercial equipment,” she said.

Donations toward Wiggly Field can be made locally at the Powell Chamber or online at gofundme.com/powell-dog-park.