Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Monday, May 12, 2008

Dog day afternoon: Canines come together to play

By Käri Knutson / Winona Daily News

More than 20 slobbering, panting, sniffing, happy dogs played together Sunday for a weekly dog party that celebrated how good it feels to be off a leash. The soiree used to be held on Prairie Island but moved Sunday to a big grassy field next to Comfortex on Wilkie Drive, where the dogs wouldn’t get in the way of non-dog lovers.

Aditi Terpstra started the party back in January. Terpstra owns the Urbane Animal in downtown Winona and says dogs need time to socialize with one another. She says it can help decrease dog bites and is a great source of exercise.

Russ Hoesley, left, and his daughter Madeline, middle, watch as Smores runs from Lisa Clifford's dog Java Sunday at the dog party in the Comfortex paring lot in Winona. Dog owners meet weekly for their pets to socialize and have fun. (Photo by Paul Solberg/Winona Daily News)

“It allows them time to be a dog,” Terpstra said.

Comfortex co-owner Andrea Terek says she and several of her employees often take their dogs out to the field to play.

“The more the merrier,” Terek said.

Because Winona doesn’t have a dog park, Terpstra hopes this dog party helps them enjoy some fun and freedom in the outdoors. The dogs play together for about an hour. Owners step in when necessary, making sure they are playing nice and don’t leave the grass field.

Terpstra says her two dogs, 3-year-old German shepherd, Chance, and 11-month-old American Staffordshire terrier, Emma, know when it’s Sunday.

“They’re amped to see the other dogs,” Terpstra said.

Dogs played with Frisbees, tennis balls, squeaky chew toys and stuffed animals. Occasionally, they played with their owners, but mostly they played with each other.

Riley Rose, a soft-coated wheaten terrier, was a little shy. She’s used to playing with dogs she knows at a doggie play group in Homer, said owner Amanda Slaggie.

“This is a great way to get her socialized and for her to exercise,” Slaggie said.

Terpstra says walks are great for dogs but just going for a couple blocks isn’t enough exercise.

Nineteen-week-old golden retriever Princess Jin Jin enjoyed her fourth outing to the dog party. So did her owners, Kellie and Preston Lawing, and their 6-year-old daughter, YiJie.

“Everyone gets to know all the dogs’ names,” Preston Lawing said. “It’s just like kids playing at a playground.”

Dog owners also talked with each other, introducing themselves as the mom or dad of their dog.

Cheryl Polachek brought her 2-year-old pit bull black lab mix, Crusher. He immediately liked hanging out with all the dogs, especially Chance who was his foster sibling before Polachek adopted him.

“Sometimes it seems like dogs gone wild,” Polachek said while looking at a couple dogs rolling around in the grass.

There were more than 30 dogs at one of the parties. Each time, there are a few new dogs and a few familiar friends. The dog party was the perfect way to spend Mother’s Day, Polachek said.

“These are our babies, too,” Polachek said.

If you go

What: Dog party

When: 1 p.m. Sundays

Where: Grass lawn next to Comfortex,1680 Wilkie Drive

Cost: Free

Contact Käri Knutson at kknutson@winonadailynews.com or (507) 453-3523.