‘Sniffspot’ app turns Lincoln yard into private dog park

LINCOLN, Maine (WABI) - What better way to help your dog cool off this summer and get rid of some energy than by taking them to the dog park?

A private dog park designed for safe exercise and training has opened in Lincoln.

“These dogs tend to be a little more socially snotty and need a little bit more space so it just seems right,” said Kelly Nason.

Nason has been training dogs for decades.

Her father was a K9 handler in Vietnam. As a kid she helped him breed, raise, and train hunting dogs.

About a decade ago she became a licensed dog trainer. This dog mom of four Australian Shepherds turned her passion of training dogs into a full-time job.

“I love the Australian Shepherd. I love everything about them,” Nason said.

Now, she’s got a new venture: Sadie’s Place. A private, appointment-only dog park in Lincoln in honor of her late Australian Shepherd, Sadie.

“When a dog passes it’s like this huge loss that you have and to be able to say her name every day, gives me a lot of joy,” Nason said.

Sadie’s Place is not your typical dog park. It’s designed for dogs that may be a little more active than others. This place gives them the chance to run and play without any worries.

“Having a space where dogs don’t have to be on leash, you don’t have to worry about other dogs or distractions, you can just let them out to be dogs and do dog things. It’s really important,” said Kate Smith, Scruffy Dog Training and Consulting dog trainer.

You can reserve the park for you and your pup for just $10 an hour.

But you must download the Sniffspot app, which Nason says is very user friendly.

“You download the application. You search for the area you want to visit for a Sniffspot. It’s just like a Vrbo for people. You’re renting your spot when you’re not using it for training, and you basically see what is available for that day and you book it,” Nason said. “The Sniffspot application actually has a $2 million coverage. Anybody who books a visit, they cover accidents. We ask for vaccinations so all dogs that come here have to have a rabies, distemper and parvo. The Sniffspot app makes it very easy to communicate and to gather that information.”

Sadie’s Place has everything a dog would need, and then some.

“We have a lot of people that come here and they bring their frisbee, their lunch, and they have a picnic. They just played frisbee. Sometimes they’ll bring some other game and they’ll just let their dogs Rome. We have a hammock over there and sometimes I’ll catch people napping with their dog because it’s more than just play, it’s about those relationships that people really need to have with their animals,” Nason said.

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