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Tails In the News People of Alimagnet Caring for K9s (PACK) will be opening a new off-leash Special Needs Dog Run in the national award-winning Alimagnet Park on Saturday, August 13. People can bring their small, geriatric, handicapped, and juvenile pooches to this less intimidating addition to the seven-acre, off-leash park in Burnsville. It is smaller than the existing park, does not have a beach, rests on flat ground, and will keep its grass short for diminutive dogs. However, the new dog run will, like the existing park, boast a private entrance, plenty of parking, and access to free pick-up bags. Many Alimagnet Dog Park users wanted a safe play area for their tiny or handicapped canines and requested the park. “There are many families with small, old, or disabled dogs who deserve a place to let their pets romp every bit as much as guardians of large, young, and healthy dogs do,” says Brigitt Martin, PACK Director of Communications. “Dog parks are a wonderful place for dogs to just be dogs.” Nike, a disabled Alaskan Husky that uses a custom-made wheelchair due to a spine defect, will be the first dog to enter the new run. According to Martin, Nike is an Alimagnet Dog Park celebrity. “She won the hearts of Alimagnet Dog Park users with her determination to triumph over adversity,” she says. Nike was an abused, unwanted canine, and “although [she] now lives at Home for Life, PACK wanted her to be the first dog to enter the new dog run. She is an excellent example of how any creature can thrive in an environment filled with love, hope, and joy.” The run was built on a small plot of land neighboring the park, presented by the City of Burnsville. Some of the $10,000 prize money recently won in a “Best Dog Park” contest in Dog Fancy magazine was also used. PACK does not plan to set height or weight limits for dogs to use the run and hopes to add a bench or picnic table in the future. Alimagnet Dog Park and the Special Needs Dog Run have a yearly membership fee of $20. While this is a voluntary payment, the money is used for projects like the construction of the run and the weather shelter inside the larger park. In addition, PACK members receive a quarterly newsletter. The leash-cutting grand opening ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. as part of the annual Dog Days of Summer. This free PACK event will consist of dog-related demonstrations, merchandise, games, a silent auction, a discounted micro-chipping clinic, and more. Other activities include “Dances with Woofs” dancing dogs demonstration and Minnesota Valley Humane Society obedience workshop. PACK is a not-for-profit stewardship group that attends to the Alimagnet Dog Park and its members. The group also advocates additional off-leash dog parks in Dakota County. |
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