The inspiration for the DG Freedom Fields, started with one beautiful Blue Merle Border Collie called Zeal. Zeal entered our lives like a whirlwind in 2016. We instantly knew this boy was special, but little did we know how impactful his presence in our lives would be.
‘Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective’ is what Google says the default of ‘Zeal’ is, and boy did he live up to his name! To know him was to adore him, and admire him. Simply put, we loved him.
But with all larger than life characters, Zeal came with challenges. His desire to chase and run was exceptionally strong. We worked diligently to overcome the challenges of having a dog of this nature, and largely we made improvements. Loving a dog like this, you accept this is part of the journey.
We would never give up, nor would we abandon our commitment to Zeal. We made that promise when we opened our lives to him. We would take him out during those quiet periods of the day, trying to avoid potential situations just to have a pleasant walk with Zeal and our other dogs. We used long lines and harnesses to enable him to have a relative level of ‘Freedom’ and to keep him from harms way. Some days he would respond like pro, other days, like an amateur. That was our Zeal and we loved him.
Zeal was Zeal. Loving, hilarious, driven, independent and zany.
Sadly, on March the 23rd 2020, our lives changed forever and the ultimate nightmare became a reality. Zeal was killed when he collided with a vehicle, chasing what we suspect was a deer, on one of our night walk. It was the ‘perfect storm’. That one time he failed to recall, that one car passing in the night, that one deer, that one moment….
We went through all the emotions and angst you would expect, asking ourselves a thousand times over… ‘What we could have done to change the outcome of that fateful night’….If only we had had access to a secure space where he could be enriched by a natural environment, run free, chase to his hearts content, and most of all, be safe.
Sharing the lives of many dogs of our own, we have loved and adored every single one. They are our family, giving us so much joy and happiness just being around them and like every dog owner, that feels the same, we want them to live their best life. We want them to have a space where they can be free, feel safe and where we can walk them without worry.
With this and Zeal in mind, we decided to create a large, natural freedom park and build a community for people in the same or similar situations, and in memory of Zeal. His loss wasn’t in vein and some good can come from tragedy.
In the autumn of 2020, between the waves of Covid, DOGGONE Freedom fields was envisioned and created. A secure walking park for all dogs, where they could experience the natural, enriching and stimulating environment of a 5 acre ridge and furrow meadow, with all its glory and changes through the seasons. This enabled people and dogs to have a safe place, free from the risk of meeting other people and dogs and it brought many people and dogs together, as a community. The doggone community was born by word of mouth and out of the need and necessity for a ‘proper’ park.
Two and a half years later and due to the DOGGONE Freedom Field’s success, we’re ready to grow and growing we are!
Continuing with the theme of large, natural and enriching spaces we are developing DOGGONE-WILD-WOODS. An 8 acre secure freedom woodland situated in the centre of 300 acres of national forest. We are very excited about sharing this in memory of Zeal, and those, who like us, just want our dogs to live their best lives!
A safe and enriching space in a natural setting, where you and your dogs can be without worry or concern. We want to have you as part of our Community, so you too can enjoy DOGGONE Freedom Fields & Forests.
Come join us and the DOGGONE community and relax 5 acre Packington Meadow and/or 8 acre Wild Woods!
