Private dog parks gain four-legged following

Alexis Himes used to take her dogs to public dog parks. Then, she realized, her pets were picking up bad habits from the animals they ran around with.

They also became more reactive to the other pet owners, unhappy with their presence.

Now, Lady, a German Shepherd mix; Walker, an American Pitbull terrier-German Shepherd mix, and Ranger, a Maremma sheepdog, have their own private dog park. But when they’re not using it, they’re willing to let Himes rent it out to other dogs.

Himes and her private dog park at Mulberry Farm near Davis have joined the growing popularity of such locations, turning their good-sized properties into small businesses. A website that helps dog owners find these sites, Sniffspot, shows 10 private dog parks in the Sioux Falls area.

Sniffspot says advantages of private dog parks are that they are designed for playing with no other dogs around, can be rented by the hour, offer monthly membership options and are created with safety in mind. Often, the parks are designed for reactive or sensitive dogs who don’t do well with multiple animals and owners around.

Sniffspot has a liability clause that will cover damage or injuries if something happens.

Valarie Quade used the dog park in downtown Sioux Falls quite often for Charlie, a 12-year-old German shorthair, and 3-year-old Mac and 2-year-old Dennis, both poodle-pointers. She wanted to get them acclimated to other dogs, and she enjoyed the fun factor behind it.

At the same time, Quade knew it could be a gamble.

“You never know how dogs are going to be together,” she said. “My dogs are very friendly. Others — who knows what their mood is going to be that day?”

So she established Val’s Bark Park at her home between Sioux Falls and Brandon.

“It’s private, you can book it by yourself, you can have free rein for an intact male who might be somewhat aggressive with other dogs or if you’re worried about other dogs,” Quade said.

Quade works full time in a surgical company’s finances and insurance department. She also works part time for Wag Zone, which walks dogs, and offers an Airbnb at her home’s lower level.

The private park is particularly attractive to Airbnb guests traveling with their dogs.

“Ninety percent of our guests who booked because of the fenced-in yard are traveling with pets,” Quade said.

The dogs who visit Val’s Bark Park can cool off in their own paddling pool. Quade keeps a supply of pet toys, chew toys, garbage disposal and a lot of trees and plants to check out. If guests want their dogs to socialize with others, Charlie, Mac and Dennis always want to make new friends.

Val’s Bark Park started about two months ago, so word slowly is getting out.

For Quade, starting the private dog park just made sense. “We have all the space, why not use it?” she said. “If this picks up, it will be a nice part-time job.”

Himes started the private dog park at Mulberry Farm two years ago. Public dog parks just didn’t offer the experience she wanted for her dogs.

“There are some people that don’t watch their animals as much as they should,” she said. “They’ve brought in a dog in heat and let it run around. They don’t clean up after themselves, and toys get taken.”

Her property covers 4 acres, and she has fenced in a half-acre for the dogs to roam and romp.

Himes has constructed an A-frame board so that dogs can walk up and down and become confident at climbing to different heights. A balance beam helps dogs with their agility. Currently, tree stumps allow the dogs to learn to weave between them, ropes hooked up a tree allow tug-of-war games and working on jumping ability, and there’s a small pool.

Himes restricts her visitors to one dog owner at a time unless they want to bring along someone else with a familiar dog. She has offered one-on-one work on socializing dogs.

The park at Mulberry Farm is designed especially for dogs of 50 pounds or more, although smaller dogs also can find plenty to do. Hines generally is home when the dogs and owner are there, but since there aren’t other people’s dogs there, she doesn’t have to worry about antagonistic animals bothering the guests.

“In a public park, you have to rely on everybody else to pay attention, and they don’t,” she said. “It can be a lot and chaotic. You can’t just let your dog go to a dog park and let it off the leash and expect it to play like a kid would. They look to you for direction and fun. A private dog park can give a dog confidence. These are places to let your dog be a dog.”