Many people who have had a pet die want to commemorate their companion’s life, but for Kaila Cruz of Ignacio, this expanded to include a gift to the Durango community.

In January, Cruz joined the ranks of animal owners whose companions died in road accidents when her dog, Zyla, was struck and killed on Colorado Highway 151 near Ignacio.

“I’m sure she just got out and her spirits got the best of her and she went to find a friend,” said Cruz, a veterinary technician at Centennial Equine Sports Medicine in Pagosa.

Cruz initially planned to purchase tennis balls and a container to place at the Durango off-leash dog park, an idea gathered from Pinterest, she said.

It seemed like an appropriate tribute to Zyla’s playful and friendly nature, Cruz said. “She was addicted to fetching tennis balls, that was her thing.”

Then, she decided to post her plan on Facebook and allow the community to contribute as well.

“Either way, I was going to fund it,” she said, but the response on social media has been overwhelming.

So far, she has gathered more than 50 tennis balls along with a smattering of other toys. And, others shared stories of their lost companions with Cruz.

“Reading some people’s stories, it made me tear up, because you can relate to it,” she said.

This effort is particularly touching to Cruz’s mother, Paula Wiesel, office manager for 105.3 FM XRock. Wiesel did not know of Kaila’s plan or her role in collecting the donated items until after the post went live.

“She informed me via text message that she had nominated me for people to drop balls off here,” Wiesel said. So Wiesel shared the post on XRock’s Facebook page and began collecting donations.

Cruz plans to take the donated toys to the dog park Wednesday, Zyla’s birthday, and anyone who would like to contribute can drop off items to Wiesel at XRock’s station at 1137 Main Ave., or to Levi Gray, Cruz’s boyfriend, at JP Tire at 1776 Main Ave., she said. The park is just west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 160 west and U.S. Highway 550, on the west side of the Animas River.

Community members are encouraged to use the toys with their animals to commemorate Zyla’s life, Wiesel said.

“They can actually just go and take their dogs down there and enjoy.”