GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A wooden chair carved out of a tree trunk that fell and killed a chihuahua was installed by the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, News 8 has learned.
Gregory Polson was visiting the Burton Woods section of Garfield Park Saturday afternoon when a chair made from a tree trunk fell on his chihuahua, Poppy. His other dog Shadow had jumped from a makeshift tree trunk table onto the chair, toppling it onto Poppy.
It’s estimated the chair weighed 50 to 100 pounds.
While Polson rushed Poppy to an animal hospital, efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and the dog died.


The city on Monday said it appeared the makeshift structure — which has since been taped off — had not been installed by the city parks department. But News 8 has since confirmed that it was the city’s forestry division, part of the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, that built the play structure a few years ago at the park located on Jefferson SE, near the southwest corner of Garfield Park’s main campus.
The forestry division built the natural play area, which includes four chairs and a table made from discarded tree trunks, according to a 2021 social media post by the city’s parks and rec department.
“Upon further investigation, the City has determined the structure involved in the death of Mr. Polson’s beloved pet was installed by the Parks Department several years ago,” a spokesperson for the city said in a statement to News 8. “We have taped off the area and will be performing regular checks while we work to determine how best to proceed. We strive to create a safe and welcoming environment for all our parks patrons and deeply regret the Polson family’s loss. We thank WOOD TV for bringing this to our attention and encourage anyone that encounters unsafe conditions with any of our parks’ amenities to call 311 immediately.”
The Garfield Park Neighborhood Association told News 8 the space used to be fenced in, but the city removed the fence at neighbors’ request after a dog nipped a child there. Neighbors had hoped the fence removal would deter people from using the city-owned property as a dog park.

Garfield Park Neighborhood Association Executive Director Katy Hoffman noted the park is a “wonderful, well-used space,” where people sit on the chairs in the summer and play games. One of the nature-made tabletops has a tic tac toe board carved into it.
Hoffman said Saturday’s accident was “horrible.”
“As a dog owner, I would be devastated,” she said.
The city taped off the table and chairs but has not yet determined what to do with the structure long-term.
BluePearl Pet Hospital, where Polson rushed Poppy, tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the chihuahua, performing an endotracheal intubation among other procedures. The hospital bill totaled $1,087, and Polson said he doesn’t know how he’ll cover it. If you’d like to make a donation towards the bill for Poppy’s treatment, please call BluePearl at 616.248.5300. Let them know you’d like to donate to defray the bill for Poppy’s end-of-life care.