Dog park set to open in Inverness

A new enclosed dog park is set to open in Inverness this summer.

Paws N Play Adventure Park, located off the A96 between the Inverness Shopping Park and the Smithton Roundabout, will officially launch on 1 July.

The park will feature a boat that will be turned into a paddle pool, tyres for the dogs to play with, and a raised platform with a tunnel.

The idea stemmed from the friendship between Kim Shepherd – a Nairn-based dog walker who helped set up the dog playpark Unleashed in Balmakeith – and her husband Ian and fellow husky owners Sharon and Tony Scott from Invergordon.

Kim Shepherd told The Inverness Courier: “Owning four huskies and a collie cross rescue and as a dog walker I found that there are a lot of walks around Nairn, and Inverness, but not many where you can take a bigger group of dogs easily.

“So the idea was to create a space where dog owners can just let their dogs have fun without getting anxious, and without the owner getting anxious thinking that the dog might escape or react to people.”

She added: “We purchased the land about a year ago but it took a while to get it ready for opening after we had a few issues with flooding. Then we did the fencing ourselves. With all of us having our day jobs, it wasn’t easy but it’s great to be almost ready to open.”

The dog park will host a series of playdates on 17-18 June to introduce the facilities to new users.

Booking is expected to open shortly, with rates starting from £12 for a space for one to two dogs, up to £18 for a group of 8 dogs.