In the next month or so, the Humboldt & District Chamber of Commerce is hoping to raise enough money to build a dog run next to the mini golf course.
“The idea of the dog run started after last year. We unfortunately had a slow season, so we were looking for ways to increase tourism visitors to our city, which obviously stimulates our economy, so we looked at pet tourism,” said Debra Nyczai, executive director of the chamber. “Statistics show that the pet industry in Canada is $6.5 billion a year. Half of North American households have pets and of those, half travel with them.”
The dog run will be a space enclosed by a chain link fence that is expected to be 10 feet wide, 60 feet long, and six feet high. It will have a double gate system for safety features, a pet waste dispenser, a garbage can, and access to water for the dogs. It’s expected to cost $5,000.
“It’s going to be available not just to tourists and visitors to our community, but to the entire community, the locals as well, and it will be at no charge,” said Nyczai.
On July 22, the chamber held an informal Business after Business event so that people could network and talk about the dog run idea. Nyczai said the feedback so far has been really good and they’ve already managed to raise about 25-30 per cent of the funds they need. Stoney Lake Construction has offered to clear the land they need for the enclosure.
For anyone who wants to sponsor, there are three levels:
• Level 1 - $100: get your name on a sponsor plaque
• Level 2 - $250: name and small company logo on the plaque
• Level 3 - $500: name and large company logo on sponsor plaque
“Just with marketing this as a pet friendly region, a pet friendly community, obviously people who do travel with their pets will stop, stay, and spend their money in a community that offers pet friendly services,” said Nyczai. “So if we do some effective marketing, we hope that people will stop and stay here, as opposed to driving a larger centre or a smaller centre that has this type of dog run.”
Nyczai wanted to extend her thanks to a few businesses that have already donated towards this venture:• Humboldt Home Hardware
• Carlton Trail College
• Canalta Hotel
• City Taxi & Delivery
Bella Vista Inn and the Humboldt Co-op provided refreshments for the evening social.
