PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Dog Park got spruced up Tuesday in the form of eight new trees to replace those lost in storms and to provide additional shade for the dogs and their owners.

The trees, made possible through a grant from Aquidneck Land Trust’s Merritt Neighborhood Fund, were purchased from Hoogendoorn Nurseries in Middletown. They were delivered Monday afternoon and planted by a Portsmouth Department of Public Works crew Tuesday morning.

A frequent visitor to the dog park donated an additional tree in honor of her daughter, bringing the total number being planted to nine, according to Bunny Miller, founder of the dog park located within Melville Park.

“The types of trees purchased were among those recommended by the Portsmouth Tree Commission's Scott Wheeler and Tree Warden John Fitzgerald,” Ms. Miller said in an e-mail. “They are two Heritage River Birches, two Autumn Blaze Maples, two Scarlet Oaks, two Pin Oaks, and one Princeton Elm.”

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