By Michele Smith

As we first reported in July of 2013, Burien lawmakers at the time approved development of an off-leash dog park located at Lakeview Park, 422 SW. 160th Street. Since then, the community has rallied and the construction that was supposed to begin in 2017 has already started thanks to donations from Beneful Dog Food and local businesses like Toyota of Burien.

The story gained quite a buzz after Kellie Bassen with B-Town Dog was one of 14 finalists in Beneful’s $500k “Dream Dog Park” nationwide competition. The local group put together a very creative pirate-themed video featuring Kellie and her dog Bailey. They didn’t win the top prize of $500k but were awarded $20K for the video, the money paved the way to get her dream of Burien’s first off-leash dog park under way faster.

This past June, Burien Parks & Rec held a reception at the Community Center to honor the donors and announce new sponsors for the Lakeview dog park. Awards were given to Beneful Dog Food for the $20k donation and Burien Chevrolet & Toyota for a $10k donation. Also noted were the B-Town Dog funds raised in the amount of $15k by volunteers and the City matched funds for an additional $15k.
If you’d like to check out the progress and get involved, Thursday November 5th Beneful and Burien Parks and Rec will be onsite at the park to install a doggy playground. Volunteers are welcomed and needed. Sign up in advance at Pit Stop Bottle Shop to receive a t-shirt or show up for the work party at the park 8am – 2pm.

For a list of all contributing businesses and event information, see their website: www.b-towndog.com/