Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The third-annual Jake & Cooper’s Bark Park 5K-9 Walk & Run, which also features a one-mile mutt strut and a best-dressed dog competition, is slated for May 18.
The event helps raise money for the bark park in its effort to help those struggling with mental health, and it honors Jacob Schaffer, who struggled with social anxiety, depression and addiction before accidentally overdosing in 2021.
When he passed, Jacob had an eight-month-old Australian shepherd, Cooper, which eventually led to the formation of Jake & Cooper’s Bark Park.
“The park itself gives us purpose,” Jacob’s father, Larry Schaffer, said. “The park itself gives Jacob's death meaning. You know, losing a child, you can falter really quick. We needed something to keep Jacob's name alive. We wanted something to make purpose of his death. And this is the best way we found to do that.”
And through two years, Schaffer is thrilled with how the event has grown, and especially the community’s support.
“The first two years have been phenomenal,” he said. “We're hoping that the third year is even better. The community has really just stepped up and really accepted the dog park and our mission as well. The community support is just unbelievable. It has blown my wife (Jane) and I away.
“We're getting runners from Sylvania, we're getting runners from all over the area. And each year we hope to increase that. As you build on something each year, you want it to grow. So that's our goal is to keep it growing.”
The event begins at 9 a.m. and will be held at the 2.3-acre bark park, which is located at the Eastern Community YMCA at 2960 Pickle Rd. The entry fee for either the 5K-9 or the one-mile mutt strut is $35. Runners can sign up by visiting JakeAndCoopersBarkPark.com.
Participants can either run or walk in the 5K and mutt strut, which is the park’s premier annual event, and they can bring their dog, too. The park is normally membership only, but everyone is welcome for this event. The dogs just need to be on a leash.
The event was created as a way to fundraise money for the park.
“We needed some type of fundraiser to help promote the dog park and to further our mission as far as mental health,” Schaffer said. “We want it to be the best dog park in the area which I think we've accomplished, but inside the dog park, it all deals with mental health because of Jacob.”
Schaffer said they host tough topics events once a month, which deal with mental health. That includes psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and people currently in sobriety, among others, speaking to the community. They recently hosted an event for mothers who have lost children due to addiction.
“Just so people know that they're not alone,” Schaffer said. “There's no stigma to this. Realistically, we probably all have mental health issues somewhat, and some are much greater than others. But if we could just be a place where people can connect or we can connect people to the right people (is our mission).”
Schaffer said they are still building to where they want to be.
“Right now, we're pretty grassroots as far as with the mental health,” Schaffer said. “We've had some rehab places come talk to us, and we're trying to figure out how we can work with them and how they can work with us.
“There's stuff on the drawing table right now in terms of creating that. We are working diligently to create it. We're working, too, that people can come to us and then that way we can direct them to where they need to be.
The park held an official “unleashing” ceremony on May 23, 2023, which was Jacob’s birthday. The park itself officially opened on Father’s Day that year, which coincided nicely with the first 5K event.
Jake and Cooper
Jake struggled with social anxiety, depression, and addiction. He had “a fighter's spirit that never quit, attempting rehab and sober living several times, as many addicts do” according to Jake & Cooper’s official website.
In Jake's sobriety, he decided that he needed a companion. After searching the internet high and low, he found one puppy left out of a litter in Cygnet, Ohio. Jake, his dad, and his sister drove to Cygnet on a cold February night to meet the puppy. On the drive, the three tossed out different names for the puppy, but it wasn't until Jake met the little guy that he knew his name should be Cooper.
Cooper wasn't ready to leave the litter, so Jake had to wait another week. On Feb. 23, 2021, Jake and his sister picked up Cooper. Cooper became Jake's constant companion on that car ride home.
Jacob began to struggle with his addiction again. On Aug. 20, 2021, his addiction took him too soon, with Cooper never leaving Jake's side until the very end.
Jennifer Kurtovic, the executive director of the Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber of Commerce and board member for the bark park, said Jake & Cooper’s is the story of an unfortunate tragedy that has led to something wonderful for the community.
“It’s a place for people with dogs to let them have some fun in a park, but it’s also a place that provides tremendous resources for those struggling with mental health and addition. It allows people to do both things.”
Looking ahead
Jake & Cooper’s Bark Park is getting ready to break ground on a pavilion. The park is providing the materials for it through community support and donations, and A.A. Boos & Sons, Inc. has agreed to build it at no cost.
The pavilion will have the Schaffer Circle, which unbeknownst to Larry and his wife, was created by the board as a way for people to recognize or honor people they may have lost or somebody who is in recovery. Once the pavilion is built, it will have those names and Jacob’s story, among other items.
“We’re hopefully breaking ground within the next few weeks,” Schaffer said. “A lot of the community is stepping up to provide the product that is needed to build the pavilion. Once that pavilion is built, it will have a donor's wall in it. And I hate to say a timeline, but it will just relate Jacob's story, what he went through, what the family went through, and basically how the community had stepped up.”
Eventually Schaffer hopes to add more stuff for the dogs, as well.
“The funds that are raised are used to keep the park up and to keep it the best dog park and to help provide our mission with the mental health aspect,” Schaffer said. “Eventually, we want to get agility equipment and splash pads for the dogs, but that takes time. I believe in two years we have accomplished a lot.
“It wasn't just my wife and I and my daughters. It was the board and the community that has really wrapped their arms around us and supported us and created this. You know it's not our dog park. It's the community's dog park. It's just in memory of our son and his dog, Cooper.”
