Amy Waters moved to Dallas in 2020 to make a fresh start. What she didn’t know was that this fresh start included a dog.
“My dad told me about this website called No Kill Shelter,” Waters said. “He kept sending me all these pictures of dogs, and that’s how I found Harley.”
And from that point on, a bond was formed. Harley is a small terrier mix with brown, grey and white fur and a beautiful, fluffy tail.
“It was a great atmosphere,” said Waters. “He had so much energy, he just jumped over us. Just super sweet.”
Waters and Harley began looking for a community they could call their own. After visiting a few local dog parks in the area, she drove by a very modest and spacious park in Flower Mound called Hound Mound.
“It looked very inviting and was just big and open,” Waters said.
She grabbed Harley and off they went to the small dog area where they met other furry families and discovered their new home in the park.
“I just went up and introduced myself,” Waters said. “From there, I started building a relationship with these people, and they loved Harley. They were just so nice and they loved his infectious personality.”
Hound Mound Dog Park offers many amenities: shaded areas with trees and ramps, open spaces for dogs to run around, and plenty of watering holes. There’s even a gathering space for humans. Since opening its gates to the public eight years ago, the park has grown in both size and culture, welcoming and creating a community for all visitors.
In addition to the cleanliness and warmth Waters felt in the park, she also found something unexpected: a familial bond.
“There was a very special person: Susan,” Waters said. “She became like a mother to me. When I was going through a lot, she looked after Harley for me. That meant so much to me.”
In 2022, Amy’s life was turned upside down after she was hospitalized for five months with a rare COVID pneumonia. With her family living out of state and her being new to the area, she turned to Susan Smith for support.
“She was a lifesaver during that time,” Waters said. “She looked after me when I was in the hospital and also looked after Harley when I wasn’t feeling well. I always appreciated her for that.”
From then on, the friendship between Amy and Susan blossomed. Meanwhile, Harley and his new buddy Dash – a lively and clever terrier – also became best friends.
“Harley loved her dog Dash,” Waters said. “They were best friends. There was an instant bond between her dog and my dog.”
As Waters continued to recover, she and Smith grew closer—even going so far as to plan Harley’s second birthday party together.
“I celebrated Harley’s second birthday party in the park,” Waters said: “He was very popular on his birthday and it was so much fun. You can just feel the love from the people and their dogs.”
For the party, Waters and Smith made treat bags for dogs. The birthday boy wore a bandana and enjoyed his own cupcake. And one of the party guests, a little Chihuahua named Freddie, even sang “Happy Birthday” in his own howling, yapping way.
“Harley, he’s my baby. So I put my heart and soul into this party”, Waters said, “We were still pretty new, you know, but people just came and celebrated him with joy.”
Hound Mound is also a focal point for others in the community. Veronica Fairbanks has been going to the park with her six-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sadie, for over five years.
“I like the grounds. I like the grass. I like the way it looks, and it seems like the people who come there and the people who maintain the park keep it clean,” Fairbanks said.
Fairbanks tried other dog parks nearby, but had issues with lighting, cleanliness, and a general lack of community – all of which she eventually found at Hound Mound.
“I’ve really found it during COVID. There’s a dog park closer to me, but it’s not always the cleanest,” Fairbanks said. “Hound Mound just feels more like home to us.”
During the pandemic, dog adoptions skyrocketed and people looked for places of calm and community during this difficult time. For many, like Fairbanks and Waters, dog parks provided that sense of community for themselves and their dogs. Even now, the dog park and Hound Mound continue to be a gathering place for the community.
“I think during COVID, we often don’t realize how much we need to interact with other people until we’re no longer interacting with other people,” Fairbanks said. “So the dog park has definitely brought back that sense of community with others.”
