You can find Kory Ulshafer and fiancé Gabrielle Testa and their sweet pups, Maya and Jack, at Wiggly Field Off-Leash Dog Park in Homesteader Park most days. They love the off-leash play time, but especially the socialization with other people and their pets.

The facility opened in 2019, giving Powell dog owners a safe place to play. Powell Parks Superintendent Tim Miller said he was skeptical about how much use the park would receive when it was first proposed, but was soon convinced.

“It doesn’t matter how hot or how cold it is, people are there every day. And it’s amazing,” he said.

One way to gauge the use of dog park statistics showing the city’s dedication to hounds is the number of poop bags it distributes.

“We put out about 14,000 dog bags a year,” Miller said.

However, he wishes they needed to buy more bags. Not everyone is picking up their pet waste, he said.

The city does not police pet owners in the park. But he does work proactively to instill a sense of pride in the city parks and the need to clean up after pets when he speaks to groups of children.

“If you plant that seed when they are young, it will make a big difference in the future,” he said.

Another way to measure how important the park has become is the number of calls he gets when it’s closed. Folks will complain if the gates are locked or when someone hasn’t picked up their pets’ feces, Miller said.

It was closed last year to install a new irrigation system — which will ultimately make the park better, he said. It will be closed again for a short time this year for the final stages of maintenance for the system and to reseed the park. Miller said he expects more calls, but the work has to be done.

But it’s a good problem to have. People love the facility and, more than that, people love their dogs in Powell.

He credits Judy Londo and Tina Fagan for getting the project off the ground. But the two, who organized a bunch of like-minded people called the Powell Dog Lovers Group, are not resting on their laurels.

They are currently looking for a local welder to help build and install an agility course in the park.

“Buying a course is so expensive and the shipping is even worse,” Londo said.

They still have funds in the bank to do the project and for others. They are also looking for artists willing to paint the tunnels on the grounds. She encourages anyone willing to help or stakeholders who have further ideas to contact the group on their Facebook page or reach out to her at her email account: judy_londo@yahoo.com.

A love for dogs is not just a trait of our beautiful city, as it seems. The state of Wyoming has been called the third best state in the nation for dog owners, according to a study by a group of pet experts at Our Fit Pets.

The study, which was done by researching data from Zillow, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the FBI, found Vermont is the best state for dog owners. Colorado and Wyoming took second and third place, according to the site’s senior editor, Tom Winkle. 

They analyzed each state based on key metrics such as access to parks and nature, dog-friendly rentals, access to veterinarians, the number of dog sitters and safety issues. Wyoming received high scores for nature, dog-friendly rentals, veterinarian service, the availability of dog sitters and boarding options, and safe environmental factors.

Oregon and Washington rounded out the top five. Wyoming neighbors Montana and Idaho were on the website’s top 10.

There are a lot of pet websites out there. If you look up dog on Google, you’ll get about 5.78 billion links, according to the search engine. Our Fit Pet is probably lesser known than many, but they said they are offering the articles out of concern for animals.

“We are pet lovers. Some of us are long-time foster families, breeders and dog trainers. We also get independent vets to review, proofread and approve some of our content,” according to Winkle in an email to the Tribune.

The news of Wyoming’s lofty ranking is good, yet to verify the study’s premises here in Powell, the Tribune talked to some of our area experts and pet owners to see how they parse the data; as well as issues where the Powell-area can make improvements.

Wyoming’s top score, according to the site, is the abundance of opportunities for dog-sitters and boarding. Powell has one boarding house for dogs at Kimi’s Kennels, just north of town at 521 Road 8. They have 27 secure, climate controlled kennels — most with a doggie door to an outside run.

Owners Kim and Dan LaPierre started the business 14 years ago after a friend encouraged them to diversify their animal boarding business. They also offer boarding for horses on the premises.

“We are in business because people want their animals cared for,” Kim said. “You know, a lot of people will leave them at home and have somebody come and check on them. But for many dogs that’s kind of hard to do.”

The business has large, clean kennels and a lot of room to play in the huge facility. They also specialize in the level of love they show their clients. With more than 10,000 pet visits per year, they are always busy. Somehow, Kim knows most of the dogs’ names and continues to love her job.

“Usually, the first two visits the dogs are little hesitant to come in. By the third visit they’re dragging their people in,” she said. “I would say 95% of the dogs absolutely love to be here.”

There are also at least three boarding options in Cody, as well as folks participating in the program at the website Rover.com, which matches pet owners with local residents willing to do services including boarding, sitting, day care, dog walking, and in-home services such as poop patrol and cleaning and training via Zoom meetings.

Kim said high school and college athletics and special occasions (like Valentine’s Day) are the biggest contributors to their popularity.

On occasion, Ulshafer and Testa use Rover to supplement dog-care for their two pups.

“We either use a friend or Rover,” Kory said. “There’s a couple of people in the area that actually watch [our dogs] at their house with their own dogs. So it’s kind of like a playdate for them and they’re not stuck in a hotel-type scenario.”

Safety of your pet is another area Wyoming scored high in the national rankings. One of the best safety nets for pets in Powell is the city’s pet-loving people, according to Ulshafer.

“I think this community watches out for each other. We’ve had two or three dogs in the neighborhood wandering and we pick them up or someone else does. Someone’s always willing to call, especially with Powell,” he said.

He also said he appreciates the ability to register your dog with the Powell Police Department.

“They instantly know whose dog is whose and it doesn’t have to go to the shelter. They watch out for everybody,” he said.

The state also received high marks for veterinarian care. There are six vets in Powell. However, Powell could use another, said Barb Muecke, manager of the City of Powell Moyer Animal Shelter. The offices are always busy and most vets also care for livestock as well — adding to the need for their expertise, Muecke said.

“Sometimes I feel that it would be nice if there was someone on-call on weekends,” she said, adding “I’ve had people who have had to take their pets to Cody, because they can’t get anyone here on the weekend.”

The suggestion withstanding, Muecke said the level of care at Powell’s several clinics is “very high.”

The animal shelter works with the city as the local dog pound. Having a group of pet-loving employees and volunteers working at the shelter is another positive data point for pet safety in our fair city. They operate on a small budget from the city, but require donations to keep their heads above water. Muecke said that is where Powell shines.

“With either money, food, litter, bedding, you know, whatever, our residents have been fantastic,” she said.

Adoptions are slow right now, Muecke stated, and it has been tougher on the shelter to procure enough supplies for the higher than normal amount of dogs and cats. There are so many cats currently up for adoption that Muecke has taken several home temporarily due to the lack of space. They are currently in desperate need of adult dog food and kitty litter, she said.

The one area Wyoming suffered in its climb to the top three dog states in the country; the state has one of the lowest ratings in the top 10 for pet-friendly landlords. It only takes one bad experience for a landlord to restrict pets in their rentals, Muecke said. The shelter requires those hoping to adopt and renting an apartment or house to provide proof the pet is welcome.

For more information on the rankings, visit OurFitPets.com/care/best-state-for-dog-owners.