Chelsea Novak
Rossland News
Dog owners taking their pets to downtown Rossland no longer have to worry about where to leave their animals if they want to do some shopping.
As of Friday, July 24, Tails now has a dog parking area setup behind Washington St. where owners can leave their dogs for up to an hour in a shaded area. Upon request, Tails staff will also supply fresh water and poop bags.
Owners who drop off their dogs will also notice the new exercise pen for the dogs dropped off at Tails daycare service. The space allows the daycare dogs a chance to get out and play, giving them extra exercise on top of their daily hike and a chance to cool off in the shade.
Keeping the dogs cool was a big part of the motivation for setting up the outdoor space.
“It was getting hot inside the store, and I didn’t want the daycare dogs to be too hot,” says Amanda Hamilton, owner of Tails.
The space is actually located behind the Rossland Light Opera Players Hall next to Tails. Hamilton says the RLOP were happy to share the space.
“The Rossland Light Opera said they were trying to share their space with the community,” says Hamilton. “So I thought if I could do a dog yard for me, but not be so selfish to also get the dog parking, which is sort of something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”
The new dog parking comes after City council’s discussions about enforcing dog-related bylaws on July 13, but Hamilton had no idea that council had proposed approaching her about a dog tie-up area at that meeting. In fact the posts for the pen were already being put in when the meeting happened.
So far Hamilton knows the dog parking has had at least two users, and more patrons are expected as the summer sunshine continues.