Saginaw teen debuts new pet tool at Fort Worth parks

Saginaw teen debuts new pet tool at Fort Worth parks

Published on March 24, 2026

The City of Fort Worth owns and operates 311 parks citywide. Of those, six are dog parks dedicated to the enrichment of animals in the community.

Today, you'll notice that two dog parks in both the east and west districts have newly erected signs pointing visitors to valuable resources the City offers for pets.

These new signs can be found at Fort Woof Dog Park and Z Bonz Dog Park. They're the result of the ingenuity and kindness of Saginaw Girl Scout Jillian Neisler.

"It feels surreal," she said. "When I started my Gold Award last summer, I didn't realize how widespread it would be."

Jillian set out this past summer to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve, similar to a Boy Scout Eagle Award. The award requires at least 80 hours dedicated to a sustainable community project.

Jillian developed a plan to rally support and install QR code signs across the city.

"I first did this in Saginaw," said Jillian. "A lot of pet owners were getting citations because they didn't know they were required to register their pets. Installing similar signs there helped raise awareness."

The signs direct anyone with a smartphone to the City of Fort Worth's Animal Care & Control resource webpage.

Pet owners can scan the code to find everything from low-cost spay and neuter services and vaccination clinics to City ordinance information and more.

"I chose this because I love animals, and I want to see more of them get out of shelters and into loving homes," said Jillian.

Jillian has helped install signs in several cities across Tarrant County, including Saginaw, Lake Worth and now Fort Worth. She raised community donations and received financial assistance from American Signworks off Jacksboro Highway to help cover the cost of the signs.

"I feel very accomplished knowing that I helped do that by working with these shelters," said Jillian. "I currently volunteer at the Saginaw Animal Shelter, and I know I'll continue to do that."

Find more information on getting involved with Animal Care & Control.

Photo at top: Girl Scout Jillian Neisler displays one of the park signs that guides pet lovers to available services.

Photo: Visiting a Fort Worth dog park are Bobby Muriel (Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department), Jillian Neisler, Ginger Leach (Fort Worth Animal Care & Control) and Angel Gomez (FWACC).

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