Community Corner

Fed Up With the Snow? Try This Indoor Dog Park

Dog licenses and potential outdoor dog parks have been hot topics in city council meetings, but if you're tired of waiting, there's a nearby park you can use right now... despite the winter weather.

Now that Golden Valley is , some discussion has pointed to the city creating its own dog park so owners wouldn't have to pay a licensing fee in another city to use its dog parks.

But many ideas are either very early in the planning stages or have been shot down completely.

Now there's an alternative.  The west metro's Bark Park opened last week about three miles outside Golden Valley in Minnetonka.  It's a canine-only, temperature-controlled, indoor play park. And just four hours after opening its doors, Bark Park’s motto—an indoor park where dogs can be dogs—had become a reality.

Find out what's happening in Golden Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Dogs are like many people’s kids,” co-owner Mindy Banko said. “We’re looking for this to be a community center for dogs and their people."

Two local dogs—prize-winning West Highland Terriers, Tartan and Kelty—and their person, Ginny Nelsen, were among those actively using Bark Park only hours after the doors opened.

Find out what's happening in Golden Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I go to a lot of dog parks, which aren’t the greatest in the winter so this is wonderful to be inside, and they can run loose,” Nelsen said. “They look like they love it.”

Tartan and Kelty spent almost a half-hour running between the plastic red fire hydrant and the two plastic blue race car beds—which although most likely intended by their manufactures to be toddler beds—seemed to fit these Westies just fine.

Co-owners and first cousins, Banko and Kim Roach came up with the concept for this 3,000 square foot, dog-only indoor play park, during a family dinner, just seven months ago.

“All of a sudden I looked at my cousin, and she looked at me, and we went, ‘Okay, we can do this together,’” Banko recalled.  “Literally that night we went into fast and furious mode, and seven months later….”

Seven months later, English Bulldogs, Billy and Vegas, spent their morning scratching, sniffing and fetching, at Bark Park. 

Banko said that because of Bark Park's close proximity to Golden Valley and St. Louis Park, it was a no-brainer to put the facility at its current Minnetonka location on Hedberg Drive. But she said that in order to open the park here, the city of Minnetonka required planning and permits to ensure the safety of dogs and their owners.

“Some cities don’t even make facilities be licensed, and there is a lot to that—the safety and hygiene, and health factors,” Banko said. “This is going to be a really healthy, safe environment.”

That means every dog who visits Bark Park is required to present vaccination forms. Also, no more than 25 dogs are allowed at the facility at a time and trained staff members will be present to ensure safety of everyone involved.

In April, Bark Park’s doggy daycare will open. According to Banko, it will be the only cage-less canine daycare facility in the area—something she said she couldn’t be more excited about. 

“You got to be passionate about dogs, and we are. We love dogs,” Banko said.  

For Tartan, Kelty and Ginny Nelson, the feeling seemed mutual.

“I’ve been waiting and waiting for it to open!” Nelson said.

*************************************** 

IF YOU GO:

▪                Bark Park

▪                2814 Hedberg Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305

▪                www.visitthebarkpark.com

▪                Mon. – Fri., 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sat. – Sun., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

▪                952-544-0206 

▪                All dogs must show proof of vaccinations, including neutered or spayed requirements.

▪                $7 per dog; discount rates are available with multiple dogs.

▪                A 30-day pass for $150 is available.

▪                Cage-less doggy daycare starting in April at a cost of $26 a day.

▪                Dogs must be more than three months old to enter.

▪                No children under 13 years of age allowed.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Golden Valley