Lawrence Township’s Hamnett Park in the 1960s and 70s was a vivacious recreation area where sporting events transpired, and children played. In recent decades, a large portion of the park has gone unused. That changed on Aug. 15, when Hero Dog Park in Hamnett Park opened to the public.
For over three years the township has worked to renovate the unutilized space at 1600 Ohio Avenue into two new fenced-in dog park areas for both large and small dogs, with additions like a perimeter walking path, a patio seating area and utility services.
The name Hero Dog Park was suggested by Lawrence Township Superintendent of Recreation Nancy Bergen, who was inspired by an article she discovered about a war dog in a 1995 story in a local newspaper. The piece was written by the late James Hewitt—a WWII veteran and former Lawrence Township Police officer who detailed the story of his beloved German Shepherd, Moose, who died a hero in the line of duty.
In the midst of WWII, United States troops landed on Kiska, one of the two Aleutian Islands that Japanese forces had occupied. Upon exploring the island, the American’s discovered that Kiska had been evacuated. All that remained of the Japanese troops was some of their equipment and a few of their war dogs. Despite resistance from the dogs, the Americans managed to capture one well-trained German Shepherd as a “prisoner of war.”
In the following year, the dog grew to be an asset to the Americans who had captured him. The canine helped eliminate threats and provided comfort to American soldiers at night.
The US troops brought the German Shepherd with them to the Marshall Islands, where he was placed with Hewitt, a young soldier, and was later named Moose. The dog took to the name quickly and continued to work with the team, being so devoted to duty that he earned the title of honorary private.
After leaving the Marshall Islands, the young soldier and Moose separated. Hewitt was scheduled to begin extensive training for his next operation, which his canine was not permitted to attend. When the time came for Hewitt to separate from his dog, Moose was admitted to the U.S. Army K-9 Dog Training Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The German Shepherd successfully graduated from the academy and was sent to a forward combat area in the Western Pacific. On June 20, 1945 Moose and his new master, Sgt. Richard Nowell, were on a patrol in an enemy village when an ambush occurred and a grenade was tossed towards the pair. Moose knew that the grenade was a weapon of war, but still picked it up and ran. That act saved Nowell’s life, but mortally wounded Moose when the weapon exploded.
For his heroic action, Moose received a merit award from the United States Army Command in the Pacific. Now, Moose’s legacy is remembered through the name Hero Dog Park.
With the opening of the Hero Dog Park, Lawrence Township now has two off-leash dog areas, with the other located in the northern section of town at Village Park. Hero Dog Park is in the southern section of town, about five miles from Village Park, making it more accessible to some residents.
“People in [southern Lawrence Township] are genuinely excited to bring their dogs there,” said Lawrence Township Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski.
Hamnett Park is within walking distance of some neighborhoods, including Colonial Lakelands, Colonial Heights and Harney’s Corner. Nerwinski anticipates that the typical low traffic at dog parks, coupled with the opportunity for residents of nearby neighborhoods to walk to the park, will mitigate the parking issues that arose during periods of higher traffic in the 1960s and ’70s.
The busyness that used to overflow Hamnett Park’s tiny parking lot was because of well-attended soccer matches that Lawrence Township’s Tom Hamnett Soccer Association once utilized park’s large field for, according to Nerwinski.
Since the early 1990s, other parks in town have taken over hosting sporting events, leaving Hamnett Park with more opportunities to be used freely. Most visitors in recent years have gravitated towards its small playground, leaving the vast field mostly untouched.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, park usage increased, and the benefits of outside activities became more apparent. At that time especially, outdoor recreational opportunities were a source for social, mental and physical well-being.
“[Parks] became very important,” Nerwinski said. “So to us, for quality of life purposes for our residents, improving and making the parks has been critical in continuing to be an important part of what we do.”
Along with park use, the pandemic sparked a surge in pet ownership. Over 200 new dog licenses were issued to Lawrence Township residents during the pandemic.
When township officials decided to go through with building Hero Dog Park, their goal was to increase the use of the area while providing health benefits for dogs and their owners.
The township attempted to gain funding for the new dog park by applying for “Bark for your Park” grants from PetSafe in 2021 and 2022. After not being selected as a finalist in 2021, the township assembled an internal project team, lobbied for capital budget funding in the amount of $450,000 and developed engineering plans. It then reapplied for the grant award in 2022 and made it to the final round, but ultimately was not selected as a winner.
Nonetheless, the project team proceeded forward. James Parvesse, township municipal engineer, and Brenda Kraemer, assistant municipal engineer, were “instrumental” in developing plans for the park and determining the overall cost for its improvement, Nerwinski said..
The project took approximately eight months of construction at a cost of $500,000. Roughly half of the project budget was invested into constructing the two dog park areas. The rest of the budget went towards passive recreational improvements. Lawrence Township expects to receive a $125,000 grant from Mercer County’s Mercer at Play program to help with costs.
Hero Dog Park is fully complete, and not in need of any renovations at this point. Since its grand opening, dogs and their owners have taken advantage of the park’s amenities, including dog park equipment, shade structures and benches.
Many Lawrence Township residents asked township officials to make improvements to Hamnett Park, and now those wishes have come to fruition
“We’re very excited to unveil these great new amenities at Hamnett Park and Hero Dog Park for our residents to enjoy,” said Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer in a township news release. “The dog park will provide a safe, enclosed area for pets to run and play, while the other upgrades create more opportunities for walking, relaxing and taking in nature.”
