Kalispell indoor park caters to dogs, owners

KALISPELL – On a recent day, Evergreen resident Chris Holmes came up to Kalispell to work out. He brought along his workout partner, Jake. They like to jog together before Chris hits the weights, while Jake hangs out and offers moral support to his buddy.

Jake doesn’t lift the weights because he is a 70-pound dog with a gorgeous brindle coat and sweet disposition, but his presence at the Walk Your Dog Club is enough to keep Chris moving.

“It’s motivation,” Chris said after his workout. “I have a workout partner.”

That’s the symbiotic relationship Suzanne Johnson and Robbi Christopherson had in mind when they opened the Walk Your Dog Club, an indoor dog park, in mid-October.

The 22,000-square-foot facility sits near the intersection of U.S. Highways 2 and 93, and is bright, clean and inviting. The first floor holds the social area, where dogs and humans can mingle and get snacks.

The first floor also houses the dog day care, which provides gated areas for the dogs to roam and webcams covering the area so the dogs’ humans can get a peek at what their furry friends are up to.

Johnson also had a slab of living, growing grass placed inside for the dogs to do their business because the city wouldn’t allow an outdoor potty area.

And finally, the first floor contains the massage area, which for now is just for humans, but Johnson said she is talking with people who could do massage and rehabilitation work for canines.

Johnson hopes to get classes going for the space, along with gatherings for different types of people, like singles’ nights or an outreach program to seniors who have had to move and give up their pets.

Memberships can include use of the gym and day care, and that option starts at $75 a month. Gym access only starts at $39 for families.

As far as Johnson is concerned, keeping the costs doable for a large swath of the community is part of the goal because it will bring in more four-legged friends.

“We have a lot of fun,” she said.