As you drive down Campbell Street in Valparaiso, you may catch a glance of what seems to be a new dog park – and you would be correct.
Dogs’ barks and attendees’ cheers filled the air for the ceremonious ribbon-cutting of the ValPAWraiso Dog Park, which was all made possible by the Valparaiso Parks & Recreation Department.
Creating a dog park in Valparaiso has been a long time coming for the residents who have requested it formany years. It started with a vision in 2015. One great visionary leader later, the time came and Valparaiso officially opened its dog park in March of 2020.
With more and more dog parks being opened around the country as households bring pets into their homes now more than ever, the need for a dog park was clear.
“Strategically, we were looking at what we should be offering our community and what the community wanted,” said John Seibert, executive director of the Valparaiso Parks & Recreation Department. “A dog park was what we wanted to add to our inventory of things to offer to the community.”
To celebrate last year’s opening on Friday, Valparaiso hosted an event for the public that had vendors, activities, and food for you and your pup to enjoy together. Some dog-loving vendors and sponsors for the event included Ruff Luxury Inn, Vale Park Animal Hospital, Woof Life, Pet Supplies Plus, Hungry Hound Boutique & Grooming, Lakeshore PAWS, Healthi Paws, Bed & Biscuit Pet Resort, Valparaiso Police Department K-9 Division, Begin Again Rescue Co., Frank & O’s, and Lori’s Tasty Treats.
Beyond shopping and talking to vendors, there were also activities that both you and your pup could participate in. Nate “Can Do” Caricatures was in attendance at the event, drawing your pup for you. The Valparaiso Police Department’s K-9 Division also demonstrated a K-9 attack done by Jax, and the Rodenbarger Family and Vale Park Animal Hospital had family pet portraits while Aspen Studios took the photos.
Valparaiso’s ribbon-cutting and celebration was a success as around 200 pet owners and pets showed up to celebrate the unofficial opening of the new dog park.
Since the dog park has been open since March of last year, the ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration was most importantly to thanks all the sponsors, families, and vendors who made this dream a reality.
The ValPAWraiso Dog Park has many unique qualities that help it to stand out, including some of the following:
Location: The dog park is located along Campbell Street in Valparaiso and is near almost fully shaded areas, which is something that most dog parks do not have the luxury of offering.
Two parks in one: Another unique quality about the dog park is that there are separate areas: one for big dogs that are over 30 pounds and another for small dogs that are below 30 pounds. These separate areas are meant to ensure the safety and compatibility between each dog that enters the park.
Membership: In order to use the dog parks, you have to be a member. The membership is primarily so the dogs have the shots they need for other dog owners to let their dogs run freely without worry, and also to ensure that rules are being followed for the safety of everyone involved.
Partnerships: Valpo Parks works with veterinarians and animal trainers to ensure they are obtaining the best of the best for the dog park and running everything by them before making decisions.
Financials: Valpo Parks was also able to build the dog park without borrowing money. It was done with income tax money and current reserve cash that the department had from previous projects that year, so there was no additional cost to put together the dog park.
Dog lovers were thrilled for this new addition to their community and really showed up to demonstrate their support for both the Valparaiso Parks & Recreation Department and its contributing sponsors.
Keep an eye out for future events as the ValPAWraiso Dog Park plans to host several events each year that will be known as “yappy hours.” To become a member, you can visit the Valpo Parks website for more information.
