by Nancy Ngo, Thursday, July 7, 2005

Burnsville site ranked third best in nation, showing it's a treat for dogs, their owners.

Berayna the black Lab dropped a baseball at her owner's feet and challenged him to throw it in the pond again.

"That's her favorite thing," said Tom Ingelhardt of Lakeville. "She just goes right toward the water and jumps in."

The pond and other features at Burnsville's Alimagnet Dog Park are what make it the third best in the nation, according to Dog Fancy magazine. Other sites that made the magazine's first-ever, dog-park contest include grounds in Houston, Chicago and New York.

The winners were narrowed from 60 nominations, and parks were ranked on factors that included providing a safe space for pooches to roam without a leash, a trail system, water features and community activities, such as training classes or cleanup events, said Susan Chaney, Dog Fancy editor.

In addition to high scores in several categories, "Alimagnet Park was one of the few places that had a safe place for dogs to swim," Chaney said.

For dog owners, the seven-acre park with a fence, wood-chip trails and a 4-foot deep pond gives their pooches a chance to roam without a leash, swim and socialize.

Two-year-old Rufus, part-Chihuahua, part-miniature pinscher, found himself paddling in the water Wednesday as his owner watched in surprise.

"This is the first time he's ever swam," said Eagan resident Marc Shriver.

Rufus didn't do it on purpose. He was so preoccupied chasing Berayna that when she went into the water, so did Rufus.

The park opened in July 2001 on a $2,000 budget. The city owns the park, located within Alimagnet Park, while a volunteer group called People of Alimagnet Caring for K9s, or PACK, maintains it.

Jessica Stevens of Apple Valley also heard the buzz surrounding the dog park, so she brought Captain, a 5-month-old yellow Lab, there for the first time Wednesday.

"I like the idea of having her off the leash. I think it gives her other types of training," Stevens said. "When she sees other dogs, she runs up and says hello."

Marshall Johnson's Lab Greta likes to play with other dogs when she's at the park, so the Rosemount resident also gets to socialize with other owners.

"Other people are in the same situation as you are," he said. "We can talk about who we recommend for vets, activities to check out."

As much as patrons enjoy the park, they agree there's always room for improvement. Enhancements are in the works, thanks to $10,000 from contest sponsor Novartis Animal Health U.S., which gave the same amount to each top five winner.

On Saturday, the group will use some of that money to replace the fence with a higher-quality one.

A second fence meant to contain smaller dogs is expected to be finished today. Some owners feared their pooches would get run over by the larger dogs, said Marcea Dowdy, president of PACK. Landscaping to prevent erosion also is on the to-do list.

Another common complaint is the condition of the pond, which is brown and full of duckweed.

"If they cleaned up the water, that would be great," said Lauren Vandal of Burnsville. "That's my only complaint."