Go North Shore (GDNS) is a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit based in Grand Marais that was formed in March of 2013 to promote active dog ownership on Minnesota’s North Shore. We believe that dog owners deserve access to public land for exercising and socializing their dogs in an area safe from predators and traffic.
An early GDNS effort was collaboration between the Cook County Community Center and members of the local horse community to adapt the Gunflint Horse Park to also serve as a dog park. We raised money to purchase additional fencing and provide a waste bag station, and organized volunteers to do periodic patrols to ensure that dog waste was properly managed.
Over time the volunteer base dwindled, and it has become clear that GDNS cannot meet the standards outlined by our fellow users of that space. In 2019, GDNS coordinated only a handful of clean-ups and, as a result, we received multiple complaints of abandoned dog waste and dogs digging holes. The horse community has aired their grievances to the Cook County Community Center Board, which is now likely to ban dogs from the space as soon as April 2020.
Our purpose in sharing this information is not to demonize any individual or group, but to sound the alarm to dog park users and supporters. None of the current GDNS board members use the park to exercise their own pets, but we fervently believe that access to off-leash space is important and we know that many locals and visitors depend on that space for their dogs. GDNS has shouldered the burden of maintaining the dog park for nearly 7 years, but now it’s time for those that use it to assume more responsibility for themselves. We also need your help to develop solutions for keeping this shared space clean and viable while GDNS pursues creating a dedicated offleash park for dogs and their people.
Finally, GDNS will host an event at Voyageur Brewing Company on Sunday, February 23 at 3 pm. We hope that dog owners who want access to a public off-leash space will join us to learn how to become involved. Visit our website at godognorthshore.org/ events or email quinn@boreal.org for more information. In the meantime, help us plan for a future space by filling out our online Dog Park Survey on our website at www.godognorthshore.org/gunflint-dog-park. Your continued access to an off-leash space depends on your active support.
Sincerely,
Go Dog North Shore Board
of Directors
Cathy Quinn, Barb
Heideman, John Mattice,
Randee Olson, Michael
Monroe, Anton Moody
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