Man creates wooden memorial to dearly departed dogs in West Yorkshire park

Tyersal resident Paul Mann created the heart-warming gesture after losing his thirteen-year-old White Highland White Terrier, Minnie, to a tumour.

With almost 20 plaques on the tree, Mr Mann has been contacted by members of the community in Tyersal to create a lasting memorial for their dogs that have died.

Doing this special community work in his spare time, Mr Mann only asks for a donation to a local charity in return. Mr Mann creates the plaques out of wood, prints and laminates photos of the dogs and then spray paints and decorates them to be proudly displayed in Tyersal.

One plaque in memory of Jake, a German Shepherd, is extra special as Mr Mann crafted it in braille for Jake’s owner, Shane, who is blind. The two were inseparable with Shane’s sister, Tiffany Jade, describing them as being “the best of friends''.

Mr Mann said: “I created the first plaque after my rescue dog Minnie died during lockdown last year. It is a nice little memorial for her and other dogs who frequented the park regularly with their owners.

“I used to stroll in the park with Minnie every day before she got to the stage where she couldn’t walk. In the last part of her life, I would take her to the park in a dog buggy with my other dogs marching right beside her.

“She was blind so she couldn’t see the park, but she felt and smelled it. Minnie would even bark when other dogs walked past.

“When I put the first plaque up, I didn’t think about getting permission from the council, but all the local councillors know about it and love the idea.”

Busy in the community, Mr Mann also created a “fairy walk” within the park last year during the first national lockdown. Mr Mann installed approximately 80 fairy doors in trees in the area so both children and adults can have a bit of fun and excitement when going on walks and doing exercise outside.

Councillor for nearby Pudsey, Trish Ward said: “I think this is a fabulous community spirit thing for Paul to have done. During the summer, he also created a fairy walk within the park, so the children and adults had something to look forward to as they walked round.

“They are such bright and cheerful creations, and the one in Braille just shows the level of thought and caring that Paul has put into this.”

The village that falls near the Pudsey district in Leeds but is only two miles from Bradford is popular amongst dog walkers. It is also a good spot for families with a designated play area for children. New fitness equipment were also installed back in October for the community to enjoy and keep fit.

Councillor for Pudsey, Simon Seary said: Paul Mann is a real community champion for the Tyersal area and proud to call him a good friend.

“Having recently lost my own dog, It’s nice that Paul in his own time has made these memorials which brings some comfort to their owners.”