Dog owners in St. Stephen now have a place for their furry companions to run off-leash.

Pet Valu Tails & Trail Dog Park officially opened Monday at the Elm Street Nature Park.

Kev Sumner, the municipality’s community services director, said it is an exciting addition.

“There was certainly an appetite and a need for a dog park,” Sumner said in an interview.

Sumner said the community has been talking about having an off-leash dog park for at least five years.

A couple of years ago, he said, council decided to designate part of the park for that purpose.

“We’ve had people using the athletic field in town as a place to run their dogs, and we wanted to keep it close to there but give it its own dedicated spot,” said Sumner.

The St. Stephen Dog Club accepted the challenge of raising the roughly $40,000 needed for the work.

Sumner said a significant portion of that money was needed to install the fencing for the park.

“The club has two or three real leaders with the community that have been pounding the street, knocking on doors, asking as many as people as possible,” he said.

The group’s efforts received a welcome boost when pet supply store Pet Valu donated $20,000.

Sumner said the 780-foot park will give all dog owners a chance to exercise their pets safely.

“There’s a small dog park on the north side of the location, there’s a large dog park for the rest of the park,” he said.

Sumner said he believes the park will not only benefit residents but also those visiting the community.