Dreams of dog owners in Shelby County will soon come true after the Beneful Dream Dog Park groundbreaking kicked off construction on the park Feb. 24.

Jenny Wilson, director of the Shelby County Humane Society, won the $500,000 park for Alabaster after entering the Beneful Dream Dog Park contest.

The dog park, which will open in summer 2012, reflects Wilson’s dream park and will include two water features, exercise paths with hills to climb and tunnels to explore, a large fetch field for big dogs and a miniature fetch football field for small dogs, a community gathering spot and more.

The dog park will bring so much to the city of Alabaster and Shelby County, and we are proud that Wilson was able to make this happen for dog owners.

This park will be so much more than a place to walk dogs. The park will provide a beautiful place for the Alabaster community — and other Shelby County residents — to come together and enjoy the outdoors and each other.

Plenty of puppies and owners will be able to live in better health because of the dog park, and businesses in the area should also benefit from people flocking to the park. We also applaud Wilson’s decision to donate her grand prize of $10,000 and a year’s worth of Beneful dog food to the Shelby County Humane Society. That money and food will help the Humane Society tremendously, and we’re proud to see that this organization, so important in Shelby County, has a leader well-suited to move it forward.

The We Say is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.