Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider

By Hayley Ferguson

Dog owners can relax at private park

Jul 19, 2019 | 4:31 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – For Eric Bachleitner there is almost nothing better than seeing his two rescue dogs running free, playing, and enjoying life.

That wasn’t a choice at a public dog park though.

“The one dog is very shy, she’d been attacked a lot so she’s shy meeting other dogs. Kind of cringes.” He described. “And the other dog is more protective. So it depends on what the other dog is like. I’m not sure what her reactions are going to be.”

So when he found True North K9 Compound in Medicine Hat, he was overjoyed.

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“I got hooked on the place. When I came out here the first time I was like ‘wow the colours, the games, the toys.’ My dogs flopped out asleep on the drive home.” He said.

True North K9 is a family owned private park that people can book for up to an hour at a time.

It’s a safe space where they can take their dogs without the stress of the unknown.

“It’s your space. You’re not going to be interrupted by a person or a dog. Not all dogs are the Kin Coulee dogs that are all friendly and fun.” Bachleitner explained. “Some dogs are shy, some dogs have been attacked, some dogs are protective. So this is a place where you can go without interruption for that time period.”

The compound has split the 1.2 acres in half.

On the one side is an open turf field.

On the other, a playground with a focus on stimulating dogs mind. Something all dogs need, not just rescues.

“As the one dog trainer, Angel said to me, she calls this her doggie Disneyland.” Bachleitner laughed. “Because there is so much mental stimulation. and they need that work and those problems to solve. And that makes it a great place.”

Bachleitner volunteers his time to helping improve the park. Something that has become a community effort.

“Niwa cranes came and installed the poles from them. They found some turf that had come from a flooded professional football stadium. And Kurt’s Iron Works gave them a reduced rate to move it here.” He continued. “Ronco Oilfield Hauling stepped up and came out with some massive oil field equipment and a crew of guys that they completely volunteered and rolled out this amazing turf.”

True North K9 donates ten per cent of of their memberships to the SPCA and APARC.

As well, they give away passes when people adopt a rescue.

It’s that care for mans best friend and the community involvement that keeps Bachleitner coming back.