It is “routine” for Amy McShane to visit the Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park. After working from home each day, she escapes to it with her pooch, Soco. In an interview with The Journal, McShane expressed satisfaction for her experiences in the space: “It’s a nice break to get my pup and me out of the house. It’s nice to have a place to let her run and socialize while I go for a walk. There’s no worry about traffic like there would be on a regular walk around the neighborhood. With the space available, Soco (my pup) can run around at her pace, meet other pups, smell everything and release all the energy she’s had pent up…”

McShane believes that Soco is “grateful” for the Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park. It enables her to be silly around other puppies, stay active and encounter new smells. “She’d probably say that she makes sure her owner knows when she’s disappointed for not going to the park,” McShane replied, after being questioned on how Soco would comment on the space’s opportunities.

Like McShane, Mark and Liz are regular users of Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park. In the last year, they have been making “almost daily” stops with their pooches, Bella and Roscoe. There are a few aspects of the site that keep them returning. Liz defined them to The Journal: “It’s small enough that, if we went opposite directions, within 10 minutes, we’d find our dog…And it’s plumbed now and that’s a huge plus… because we don’t have to bring water from home on a hot day…”

While McShane has been supporting Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park for 2+ years, Mark and Liz began attending it near the moment it opened. Roscoe was young and “rambunctious” then. This summer, he is in his “golden years” and Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park is turning ten.

Puppy Years

Approximately twenty years ago, Ellen Edwards caught wind of off-leash dog parks. The nearest one to her home was twenty minutes away. Being a pet owner herself, Edwards imagined, “It’d be awesome if there was something that was closer to where I live…how can we get a dog park opened in Cottage Grove?”

She began researching the idea. Edwards ended up contacting Dick Swanson. He is a Cottage Grove resident who was associated with a non-profit organization related to dog parks. The two became business partners with a mission to construct a dog park in Cottage Grove. What they were unaware of: reaching this goal would take seven years.

Those seven years were a “true test” to the “patience” and “perseverance” of Edwards, Swanson and their teammates. First, they needed to prove to local officials that there was a dog park demand in Cottage Grove. Edwards and Swanson hosted community meetings to understand the levels of enthusiasm among dwellers. Their group appeared at parades to advertise their initiative. Even a petition was created for their cause. Meanwhile, the team was having discussions with Washington County and The City of Cottage Grove continuously.

The group’s persistence to break ground on a dog park in Cottage Grove was rewarded when they gained support from people in power. City staff members began advocating for them. Later on, the mayor of Cottage Grove hopped on-board. “And eventually, Myron Bailey…we got his support,” stated Edwards. “And that was really, kind of a game changer for us.”

Her next step was to select a location for the potential dog park. Edwards searched for a property that was around 10 acres of diverse landscaping and separate from housing developments. The City of Cottage Grove aided her in this endeavor. At one point, they notified Edwards about a piece of land adjacent to 95th Street S and Jamaica Avenue S. It was privately owned by a family. Regardless, the owners agreed to lease the property to the city. Cottage Grove was about to have their dog park.

Prior to that being a possibility, donations needed to be collected. Fundraising was essential to transform the property into a dog park. WAG Farms Dog Park Association was founded as a result. Edwards informed The Journal, “I am the president of WAG Farms Dog Park Association. This is the non-profit group that maintains and operates the park.”

The association’s seven years of attempting to open a dog park in Cottage Grove was almost over. With the donations that they secured, fencing and basic amenities could be installed. It was the summer of 2011 when Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park’s ribbon was cut. As labelled by Edwards, this was just the beginning of “an amazing ten years.”

Paw-ccomplishments

Before Edwards identified some of the achievements that Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park fulfilled over the last decade, she prefaced, “It’s amazing how fast ten years can go. And, I’m just super proud of the fact that we were able to get open and that we’ve had ten years of success under our belt, and what we’ve been able to accomplish in those ten years.”

In their first months of operating the Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park, Swanson and Edwards were named, “Volunteers of the Year” in Cottage Grove. Their determination in opening the site had earned them the honor. To Edwards, it meant “validation” for all of her association’s labor.

Five years later, in 2016, the park obtained a $10,000 grant. “That was a big year for us,” Edwards claimed. “When we got that grant money, we were able to make a lot of improvements.”

Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park had originated as natural terrain that was fenced-in. Securing thousands of dollars prompted the association to offer agility equipment and a “safer” threshold complete with entrance and exit gates.

Installing a water spout by those gates was the final accomplishment that Edwards mentioned to The Journal. In 2019, Thrivent Financial hosted a fundraiser so that the Cottage Grove WAG Farms Park could have plumbing. Enough money was raised and the amenity was added. “Prior to that, we actually had to have volunteers just haul in water by hand in milk jugs…in the summertime… we’d go through like, 30, 40, 50 gallons of that water in a week. So, that was a big game changer for us, too,” Edwards illustrated, displaying the significance of a running water supply.

Enduring COVID-19

The COVID-19 Pandemic was characterized as an “interesting” moment in the decade-long history of Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park. During the spring of 2020, the association debated on whether they should shut down or proceed with their services. They recognized that city parks in Cottage Grove were remaining open. Consequently, their site was available to the public throughout the crisis. “We just didn’t want to take away this one outlet of entertainment and stress relief that that people had,” Edwards further defended.

Similar to most public places, signage containing information surrounding COVID-19 was displayed throughout the space. Edwards reported that guests were compliant with safety measures.

The Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park Today Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park is a “great place” for animals and humans alike. After all, both can exercise their physical and social beings at the site. In fact, Edwards has witnessed people enter the park together: “The way that our park is set up, it’s a great place for [dog owners] to get exercise and also meet other people that are like minded…And so you get these nice…clusters of people that meet up at the same time and…form those connections.”

Additionally, Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park caters to dogs of all sorts. The main portion of the park is where large dogs can play and explore. Some owners with tiny pets may feel uneasy unleashing their small pets where there are unleashed, bulky dogs. A small dog area is provided near the parking lot for that reason. In the case of a dog (or human) emergency, the Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park Association has vehicles that they can drive into the park when necessary.

One final aspect of the dog park worth exposing is its tribute garden. The tribute garden initially was a way to fundraise. Bricks were sold to locals who desired to honor a late or living pet. Their names are engraved on the bricks and fit into the earth as a platform. Surrounding it are large potted plants and a bench. The tribute garden is situated on a hill that overlooks greenery, the sky, plants, and a pond.

Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park is 100% user-supported. It is free for guests to enter. As a result, the association relies on the engagement of volunteers, users, sponsors, and the city to keep serving Cottage Grove. A Glimpse into the Future

Edwards hopes that this park lasts longer than another ten years. “Forever” is the duration that she has in mind. The fact that the land is being leased to The City of Cottage Grove could complicate her aspirations. There is the potential for a shift in locations. Edwards did not seem concerned about the matter. “The city is fully supportive of this,” she reassured. “I mean, they have realized the demand is there. They’ve realized that the value of this amenity…they have no intention of letting it go. So, whether it’s somehow purchasing this location, or, worst case scenario, if we have to find a new spot for it…I don’t see it going away.”

The WAG Farms Dog Park Association is considering a couple of future tasks that would enhance the dog park. Cullen is a longtime user and volunteer at the site. He was a part of the group that pressed to have a dog park in Cottage Grove. Now, Cullen would “love” to pave the parking lot. That way, it could be durable in the face of harsh weather. In addition, Edwards told The Journal that visitors have suggested the installation of outdoor lighting. This would permit people and dogs to attend Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park beyond sunset. Thirdly, the small dog area may be improved down the road. Upgrades to the zone such as enrichments, a mini agility course, and rocks were brainstormed by Edwards.

Commemorating an Anniversary It is “crazy” for Cullen to think that this summer marks one decade since Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park became accessible to the public. He conveyed to The Journal: “It went by so fast.”

Likewise, Edwards could have sworn that their ribbon cutting ceremony was yesterday. Still, she vented that her association could not have carried on to today without community: “We wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for all of our volunteers, our generous users, a lot of support from local businesses…and then just support from the city too… It’s taken work on all fronts for this to be successful. So, it’s just been cool to kind of see how everybody comes together to support it.”

The WAG Farms Dog Park Association is throwing a 10year anniversary celebration on Saturday, July 24th from 10am to 2pm. In that time frame, guests can take advantage of several vendors and forms of entertainment. First of all, Von Hanson’s Meats will attend in the form of a food truck. 50% of their sales will be invested into the dog park. Meanwhile, Mik Mart will be vending their Pup Cups and donating 10% of their sales. Pedicures (for dogs), goodie bags, a photo booth, merchandise, and “swag bags” will be offered to participants. Finally, an entire adoption event and a Washington County K-9 demonstration will unfold. All of these festivities will occur at 9475 Glendenning Rd, Cottage Grove, MN.

A Call-to-Action

Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park is in need of volunteers and accepts donations. If readers are interested in fetching either opportunity, they can navigate to www. wagfarmsdogpark.com.

As The Journal spoke with different people at the dog park, pooches like this one were drinking from and making a splash at the water spout. Photo by Bruce Karnick

Rumpa Companies is one local business that shows generosity to Cottage Grove WAG Farms Dog Park. They donate the woodchips that form the path of the site.Photo by Bruce Karnick

The tribute garden is “just a really nice, quiet space where people can come and sit while their dog runs around. And, [it is] a nice, little tribute to all of our four-legged loved ones,” Ellen Edwards (right) informed The Journal’s Sadie Jones. Photo by Bruce Karnick