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For more days than anyone could count, Terry Frest added sweetness to the afternoons at the Magnuson Park Off-Leash Area. From the moment he arrived with his dogs -- Rudy, Susie and Franz -- and a bag of dog treats, he was surrounded by adoring furry fans. Generous with his snacks and his affection, he wouldn't have it any other way. Frest died last week, leaving a big hole in this off-leash community, especially among afternoon devotees and their dogs.
"He was such a sweet, kind-hearted man," says Cheryl Parker, a dogwalker who owns Dog Trek and has been coming to the park with her canine charges almost daily for eight years. She saw Frest doing his Pied Piper stroll only a day or two before he died. "He was always there. It's going to be hard to be at the park without him."
When Magnuson regulars asked Frest's wife, Margaret, how they could honor him, she suggested donations to Doney Memorial Pet Clinic. This non-profit, volunteer-run veterinary clinic serves the homeless and the very poor out of the basement at the Union Gospel Mission in Pioneer Square.
"Terry, as one who had unconditional love for dogs, would be happy to know that pets in need would receive help in his name" is the message on flyers at the gates to the Magnuson dog park this week. It's a reminder of how much one person, through his simple acts of kindness, can affect others and how dog parks are much more than just a place to play fetch.
Donations to the clinic in Terry Frest's honor can be sent to Louise Garbe, 4351 29th Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199. Magnuson dog walkers are also considering an in-park tribute to Frest, such as a tree or a bench.
"He was such a sweet, kind-hearted man," says Cheryl Parker, a dogwalker who owns Dog Trek and has been coming to the park with her canine charges almost daily for eight years. She saw Frest doing his Pied Piper stroll only a day or two before he died. "He was always there. It's going to be hard to be at the park without him."
When Magnuson regulars asked Frest's wife, Margaret, how they could honor him, she suggested donations to Doney Memorial Pet Clinic. This non-profit, volunteer-run veterinary clinic serves the homeless and the very poor out of the basement at the Union Gospel Mission in Pioneer Square.
"Terry, as one who had unconditional love for dogs, would be happy to know that pets in need would receive help in his name" is the message on flyers at the gates to the Magnuson dog park this week. It's a reminder of how much one person, through his simple acts of kindness, can affect others and how dog parks are much more than just a place to play fetch.
Donations to the clinic in Terry Frest's honor can be sent to Louise Garbe, 4351 29th Ave. W., Seattle, WA 98199. Magnuson dog walkers are also considering an in-park tribute to Frest, such as a tree or a bench.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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