Niverville doggie playground 'first of its kind' in Manitoba, organizer says

A "playground for dogs" opening next month in Niverville, Man., features fun structures for Fidos that include a teeter-totter, tunnels and what else? a fire hydrant.

Volunteers are building the play structures at one of Niverville's two existing dog parks. Thegrand opening isscheduled for July 23 at 10 a.m.

"It's the first of its kind," said Barry Piasta, a local dog enthusiast and spay-and-neuter advocate who came up with the idea.

"There's nothing else like this in Manitoba right now that has activities that you can do and lets you bond with your dog in that way."

The park will have 11 agility-style stations that will include poles, climbs and obstacles.

'People can get involved'

Piasta said he found photos and videos of dog parks around the world, then realized Manitoba's off-leash parks mostly consist of wide open spaces.

"A lot of people go to dog parks and I'll always hear of them going to do these things. But other than letting your dog run loose, there's no way for you to get involved, other than tossing the ball and stuff," he said in an interview Wednesday.

"This way, people can get involved with their animal if they like to go through some of these obstacles and bond with their pets, all the much more."

Fundraising events paid forthe playground, and people and businesses in the community have donated time, resources and money towards making it a reality, Piasta said.

NivervilleMayor Myron Dyckand councilapproved the proposal to upgrade the dog park, he added.

"When I took this proposal to him, he said, 'Well, gee, let's go for it!'" Piasta said.

Labour of love

Work on the doggie playground has been a labour of love for Piasta,who suffered a brain injury in 2012 that affected his memory. His daughter is helping him on the project, he added.

"I'm not able to do anything, and this is something that makes me feel useful," he said.

"How would you feel losing your memories of your daughter being born or your wedding? So this gives me hope to keep on going on."

Piasta said the park has attracted a lot of buzz among dog owners in Manitoba, with some even inquiring how they can create something similar in their communities.

"There's nothing else like it in Manitoba currently, but I'm sure we'll get some people who will copy it and maybe even do better on it," he said.