Runners and walkers will have the opportunity to bring their furry four-legged friends to Oak Park for a day this week to participate in a race and enjoy the park.
Oak Park will host the Doggy Dash 1-Mile and Fast and Furry 5K races on Saturday at 8 a.m. The Doggy Dash is a one-mile race through the park and is for dogs under 20 pounds. The Fast and Furry 5K race is a three-mile race through the park and is for dogs over 20 pounds. All owners will wear a race bib and each dog will receive a free dog bandana. Owners must run with their dogs on a leash as well as clean up after their dogs. Mile One Running Shop in Minot is sponsoring the races.
The first-place winners of the Doggy Dash and Fast and Furry 5K races will receive a dog gift basket full of treats and toys.
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Jill Hambek/MDN
The Doggy Dash 1-Mile race and the Fast and Furry 5K race, put on by Mile One Running Shop, will take place at Oak Park on Saturday at 8 a.m. The dog races are held in conjunction with an event held by the Souris Valley Animal Shelter where people can walk their dogs in the park for the day for $30, with proceeds going toward the animal shelter.
There is no registration fee for the dog races, said Reece Vega, manager of Mile One Running Shop, but the races will be held in conjunction with an event put on by the Souris Valley Animal Shelter that same day. The animal shelter has reserved Oak Park for the day on Saturday and for $30 people can walk their dogs in the park. That event starts at 9 a.m. with the proceeds going toward the Souris Valley Animal Shelter.
The idea for the dog races belongs to Connie Feist, owner of Mile One Running Shop, said Vega. "She decided it would be fun for runners and dogs to participate in the event."
Vega said they decided to have a race for owners and their dogs because they liked to be in conjunction with the animal shelter and they wanted to have an opportunity for runners to run with their dogs. "There's nothing like that around here," he added, "and we wanted to get people out and do something active."
It's not known yet if the dog races will be an annual event, Vega noted, but it would be nice to have something like this every year.
There have also been no difficulties in getting the dog race event off the ground. The only issue was getting to walk dogs in Oak Park, Vega said, but they teamed up with the animal shelter's event. "The only problem might be with owners cleaning up after their dogs, but it should be fine," he added.
Vega said they wanted to do the dog race event to contribute to and help the Souris Valley Animal Shelter. It's also nice to give back to the animals, he added.
"We want to get people out with their dogs and this will be the first time they'll be able to do that in Oak Park."