by Brigitt Martin, September 4, 2003

‘Dog Days of Summer’ the cat’s meow

The first Dog Days of Summer, Saturday, Aug. 23, in Alimagnet Park, was anything but a dog.

You might even say the event, sponsored by PACK (the People of Alimagnet Caring for K9s), with support from the city of Burnsville and Burnsville Jaycees, was the cat's meow.

"Our goal was to provide a fun event that every member of the family could attend, and to raise $700 toward building a weather protection shelter inside the Alimagnet Dog Park," said Daryl Ramsey, a PACK board member.

The event showcased more than 30 speakers, demonstrators, and vendor displays of interest to canine enthusiasts, and PACK merchandise. The goal was to raise $700 to match funds being donated to the shelter project by the Burnsville Jaycees and Breakfast Rotary Club.

"We had no idea how popular our first Dog Days of Summer would be," said Ken Thornburg, PACK's 2003 president. "We had more than 700 people attend with their four-footed friends, and raised well over $2,000."

The day began with advice from the Minnesota Valley Humane Society (MVHS) on dog park etiquette. Then, to help dog park users raise mannerly pets, an animal behaviorist from PetSmart of Burnsville demonstrated the benefits of clicker training. To lighten things up, the MVHS returned to center stage to organize games for the dogs and their masters.

After lunching on hot dogs, the authors of Angel Animals shared moving stories about the spiritual connections that people and their dogs can have, and members of the audience volunteered their own stories.

Following a visit by McGruff the crime-prevention dog, Burnsville's K9 unit demonstrated their special breed of police work, drawing gasps from the crowd when one officer impersonated a fleeing suspect and was arrested by a dutiful police dog.

"The PACK is just so grateful to all the volunteers, vendors, presenters and sponsors who made Dog Days possible," said PACK board member Marcea Dowdy. "We're already looking forward to planning next year's event, which we'll do just as soon as the shelter is built this fall."

For information about Alimagnet Dog Park, PACK, or the Dog Days of Summer, visit www.alimagnetdogpark.org or call Garrett Beck, City of Burnsville Recreation Department, at 952-895-4500.