Powell Dog Lovers, the group that raised donations to build the city’s dog park (known as Wiggly Field), put out a wish list for park improvements a few months ago that included canine agility equipment. They assumed it would cost thousands to build and install, but generous donors made sure they had the money. 

So they went shopping.

What they found was incredibly expensive and not really well-suited for years of heavy use in an outdoor facility.

That’s when Tate McCoy heard about the project. As co-owner of Production Machine in Powell, he thought they could help. 

He approached Judy Londo and Tina Fagan, the women driving the fundraising for the event, asking them if they were still looking for someone to participate. They provided McCoy with some examples of the type of equipment they were looking for, and Tate said he was in.

At the time, McCoy wasn’t really sure how they were going to be involved. After seeing the Powell Dog Lovers’ plan, he volunteered to “participate.” 

They discussed the costs, but as they went through plans, McCoy decided that, if they would accept, he’d like to give it his wholehearted effort and donate everything that was needed to get the job done.

“We want to give back to the community that has supported us for almost 50 years,” he said. “I look back at the involvement that I’ve had since my dad (Jeff McCoy) started the business in 1974. And it’s just unbelievable how much the community has supported us. We are thankful that we have this opportunity to give back.”

Fagan and Londo were flabbergasted by his offer. They knew it wasn’t going to be an easy job. They envisioned hoops for dogs to jump through, a movable high jump with variable heights for all sizes and athletic abilities of pups and a large ramp system — equipment that is common in specialty training facilities. They also needed it to be sturdy enough to last for many years and had high hopes for bright colors to bring some fun to the project.

Production Machine employees quickly went to work, designing and fabricating the parts they needed. Fremont McCoy, who is the third generation of McCoys running the plant, said all of the work except for the powder-coating was done at the northeast Powell facilities.

“It didn’t take as much labor as we first thought. Getting everything processed, built and painted took about three weeks total,” Fremont said.

The end result is extremely sturdy, yellow, green and orange custom-made adventure toys for Powell dogs and their owners. The equipment is ready for installation, which should happen sometime in early July, said Tim Miller, Powell Parks Department director. Londo said Thursday the group would plan a grand opening celebration in early July, but the date was still undecided by presstime.

“The equipment will give those using the park time to bond with your dog and learn new skills,” Fagan said. “Production Machine brought this project home for us.”

Interestingly, Tate — as willing as he was to help Powell pups — is actually a cat person. He’ll tell you it’s actually his wife, Alisa who is the cat enthusiast in the family, but it’s pretty obvious he’s also a fan. Fremont has a dachshund and is much more likely to have an easier time training his pup for agility than even the most trainable cat. But mostly, the owners just want to support Powell whenever possible.

Located near Powell’s eastern water tower, Wiggly Field features a fenced area, with benches inside and cement tubes for leash-free pooches to run through; water is also on site. The tubes were recently painted by art students at Northwest College.

The City of Powell provided the land. Since the park’s inception, over $26,000 in cash donations, as well as in-kind donations, came through from residents and businesses in Powell to make the park a reality.

Londo said, thanks to Production Machine’s donation, they will still have funds for maintenance and other improvements.