About Us
Our dog park is under the stewardship of Friends of Western Gateway Dog Park, a non-profit 501(c)3 California corporation. It is comprised entirely of volunteers who continue to maintain an enjoyable meeting place for pets and their owners in and around Penn Valley.
In 2008, the Western Gateway Park and Recreation District approved plans to build a dog park on the abandoned horse arena grounds inside Western Gateway Park. Major funding for those capital improvements was received from the Bear Yuba Land Trust (Al Salter Fund for Animals) and the McBeth Foundation.
We have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Western Gateway Park (WGP) to maintain everything that is part of the dog park. In return, the WGP provides the dog park with waste bags, handles trash removal, and maintains the restroom facility. We have a wonderful relationship with the WGP board and staff.
We do NOT receive direct funding through county taxes, so future improvements and maintenance rely on volunteer help, association memberships and private donations. That is why we need your annual support!
If you enjoy coming here, please tell your friends. We always like to see new faces and happy dogs!
Nan Spier, Current President
Born and raised in Indiana, Nan was a high-school math teacher while she showed horses and acquired a variety of rescues throughout her life. She is an advocate for giving the unwanted a second chance at life.
In 1980, she moved from the rural life to the Bay Area where she became an Instructional Designer, eventually building web-based training and courseware for Lockheed, Oracle and start-up companies.
In 2023, Nan and her husband, Bob, moved to Penn Valley with their dogs and cat, at the time. Today, Pickles is the fur-baby Basenji mix sharing their household.
They both enjoy sports, hobbies and travel. Both have served on many boards where they feel a strong connection to the group's mission. Nan joined the Western Gateway Dog Park Board in 2023 where she has served as secretary and president. She also coordinates the annual Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic each year and writes the quarterly newsletter.
Beverley, Director of Education
Beverley is the best Dog Behaviorist in this State! Having a long-time position with Sammie's Friends and other groups, she is now devoting her time to socializing dogs at WGDP. We are so fortunate to have her on our team! If you have a reactive dog, we encourage you to bring your dog to one of her Socialization Classes.
Shauneen Deschaine, Treasurer"Chase" & "Riley" A Nevada County native, through and through as she was born and raised here. Graduated from Nevada Union High School and from Sierra College with three associate’s degrees in Business Administration, Accounting, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.She also has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Management from Western Governor’s University.
Shauneen has worked for Nevada County for the past 12 years and is currently the Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector. She currently lives on a small, two-acre homestead in Rough and Ready with four dogs, two cats, 18 chickens and a large vegetable garden. All of my dogs are rescues: Chase is a yellow lab, Tank & Tallulah are Frenchies, and Riley is a Chihuahua. Uno and Dos are my two kitties.
In addition to being the Treasurer on the Dog Park board, I am also the Board Treasurer on the Rudiger Foundation, Penn Valley Fire Auxiliary, and Rough and Ready Fire Association boards. In addition, I volunteer at the Penn Valley Fire Auxiliary thrift store and I am a dog walker at Sammie’s friends. I am also a current member of the Penn Valley Municipal Advisory Council. And last, but not least, is my newest commitment to the Nevada County Master Gardener’s Program as a Master Gardener Trainee. I love being on dog park board because we are all passionate about our dogs and animals in general and we work hard to make sure that the park is the best that it can be. We are always looking for volunteers and board members, so please reach out if you would like to come and join in on the fun!
Dave & Chris Ryan, Director of Facilities & Interim Secretary: Chris and I extend a warm greeting to all of you dog lovers! You and your furry companions are much loved, appreciated and welcomed here at WGDP! Our hope is that you come to this wonderful park and have a fun, relaxing time with your pup!
We have lived in the Penn Valley area for a couple years now, having moved from the bustling Bay Area. Both of us are retired California natives.
Chris established a rewarding career within the medical field working as a certified medical assistant and cardiac surgery scheduler.
Dave had a long career with the US Forest Service working in wildland fire suppression (ground and air operations), and fire management and planning. Later, he joined the United Technologies Chemical Systems Fire Department where my first responder responsibilities included fire response, rescue, hazardous chemical emergency response, and emergency medical response.
Our fellow dog park board members find it funny that we spend a lot of volunteer time at the dog park and don’t even have a dog! We don’t even have a cat! A few years back we did have a great little dog who has since passed. His name was Buster, a tri-color dachshund terrier mix that we adopted from Nike Animal Rescue Foundation. We called him Buster the Wonder Dog and he could tell you stories! He was a wonderful loving member of our family, and we really miss him. He will always be within our hearts! All in all, the WGDP is a treasure. Chris and I have found that our volunteer time is never a chore. It is a labor of love! Having a clean, safe, well maintained dog park makes the effort so very rewarding for us both. So, come and visit us soon! We look forward to seeing you and your pups at the best dog park in Nevada County.
Board Meetings
Board Meetings are normally held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at Penn Valley Fire Dept Community Room (5:30 P.M.). The date will be posted on the bulletin board and our Facebook page beforehand. Everyone welcome!
If you want to attend a meeting and have a request or concern for the agenda, please include that information on our Contact page to allow time for discussion during the meeting. Thank you.
Volunteers Needed
We are seeking members who have some extra time to help us in the following areas:
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Advertising/Publicity
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Become a Board Member or Serve on a Committee
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Fundraising/Event Planning
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Dog Park Maintenance
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Grant Writer
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Workday Help (1 hour per month)
Contact us If you would like to volunteer or have questions.