Santa to confound dogs, delight humans

By David Martin in Martin

Fri., Dec. 5 2008 @ 1:30PM

Dogs have difficulty distinguishing the color red from green, which makes Christmas a little confusing. Nonetheless, Santa Claus will visit the Penn Valley Dog Park on Sunday, December 14.

Dog owners who squeal with delight when their animals do toddler-ish things should arrive at the park between 10:30 and noon, when Santa (or Green Giant Shih Tzu-Looking Guy, as he's known to canines) will be available for pictures.

Deb Hipp, meanwhile, continues to push for an expansion of places where dogs can run unbound.

Hipp leads a group that has raised money for the installation of an off-leash dog park at Sunnyside Park in Waldo. The parks board rejected the idea in 2007 but later indicated a willingness to reconsider the decision by creating a dog park task force.

And what does Hipp (a former Pitch staff writer) want from Santa?

"My wish is that next Christmas, I'll be standing at the off-leash park at Sunnyside, holding a cup of steaming coffee, watching my dogs romp in the snow, with a little bit of faith in our
city government restored," she says.

The Humane Society of Kansas City is also hosting a celebration with a member of the local Kris Kringle union. Santa will pose with dogs (and children) at Prairie Village Shops on December 6 and 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

-- David Martin