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Dogs will be able to roam a 6-acre section of Red Mountain Park off leash starting Saturday, Sept. 6. The new Remy’s Dog Park officially opens at 9 a.m., and a ribbon will be cut by donor Ken Jackson and Mayor William Bell at 11 a.m.
“The dog park give dogs the opportunity to run in an area bigger than most backyards and faster than most owners can run, and when they do that, they stretch their muscles, have better digestion and have better behavior,” donor Ken Jackson said. “Plus, they get to meet other dogs.”
A dog park had been in long-term plans for Red Mountain, but Jackson’s financial gifts sped up the process. His involvement only began with a check, though. Self described as “animal crazy,” he was instrumental in working with the park on the design for the space, wanting it to be there best off-leash dog park there is.
Its new name, Remy’s Dog Park, is the same as Jackson’s late Jack Russell/Shih Tzu mix, and the donor fund he used for his gift to the park is named for two of his other dogs, Mac and Tosh.
No other dog park in Birmingham is as large as even the large dog section of the Red Mountain Park space. Its 1.7 fenced-in acres is half in shaded trees and half grass. A neighboring space for dogs under 30 pounds is a .7-acre version of the large dog space. Both feature benches around the perimeter and water bowls.
A dog friend of Jackson’s, Mike from Hand in Paw, who is deaf, inspired him to initiate another .3-acre section of the park for dogs who might be elderly, shy, injured, recovering or have other special needs.
The park isn’t just about dogs, though. Jackson envisions it bringing people together to talk who might not otherwise meet.
Until a new parking lot is built starting later this fall, dogs and their owners will get to the park through .25 mile of trail from the main entrance. Jackson hopes it will give them a taste of Red Mountain’s trails that will convince dog and owner alike try out more of the 12 miles available to them.
The park is now open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but will start to close at 6 p.m. after day light savings time begins. It will be closed Wednesdays from 8 to 10 a.m. for maintenance work.
Red Mountain Park is located 3 miles west of I-65 at 2011 Frankfurt Drive. For more visit redmountainpark.org.