Heritage Village Dog Park Closure

Updated December 21, 2023

The Inver Grove Heights Parks & Recreation Department is pleased to announce the reopening of its Heritage Village Dog Park, beginning at 6 a.m. Friday, December 22.

The City had temporarily closed the dog park in late October out of an abundance of caution, following multiple reports of gun shots reaching the park. During the closure, the park was searched by law enforcement personnel and evaluated by representatives of the City’s insurance carrier. At this time, we believe the reopening of the dog park is a reasonable step. The City sincerely appreciates the cooperation of the nearby South St. Paul Gun Club and their willingness to share information as we worked to resolve the concerns that were reported. 

Lastly, we apologize for the inconvenience to both the human and canine users of the dog park. Those who have the required pass to utilize the dog park will have the pass expiration date extended by two months.  

For more information about the dog park and how to obtain a dog park pass, please contact the City at 651-450-2586.

 Updated November 29, 2023 

The off-leash dog park at Heritage Village Park has been temporarily closed since the City received multiple reports of gunshots coming into the dog park. Since that time, the City has conducted a coordinated search of the area using metal detectors. One fired bullet was discovered inside the fenced-in area of the dog park. The search team was unable to determine the direction from which the bullet was fired, but it did appear to have landed within the park relatively recently, as it was not embedded in the ground. 

This is inconclusive information at best, but it is the information we have. We acknowledge that some will believe even one bullet is one too many, while others will think it is not reason to keep the dog park closed.  

Knowing that the South St. Paul Rod and Gun Club borders the park to the north, City representatives reached out to them to better understand the layout of their facility. Gun Club representatives willingly provided a tour of their property and explanation of their operations and safety protocols. This week we made a request that the Club consider a slight modification to one of their berms. We look forward to their response.

Out of an abundance of caution, the dog park remains closed at this time, but it is our intent to get it reopened in a timely manner. Due to the inconvenience of the dog park being closed, users who have paid for a dog park pass, as required by City Code, will receive a two-month extension on the pass expiration date at no cost.  For more information regarding dog park passes, contact the City at 651-450-2586. 

Updated November 7, 2023

This morning, IGH PD and partners began searching the area around the dog park at Heritage Village Park. The team is using metal detectors to search for possible stray bullets or bullet fragments that might be accidentally entering the park from nearby properties after park visitors reported that this might be occurring. Currently, the dog park remains closed. The City will share more details on the status of the dog park when more information is available. 

Updated October 31, 2023 

Recently, visitors to the City of IGH dog park at Heritage Village Park reported gunshots coming into the dog park, possibly from the South St. Paul gun range. Out of an abundance of caution, the City closed the dog park at Heritage Village Park and the dog park remains closed. The City of IGH continues to look into what might have occurred and gather more information. 

The safety of all visitors to IGH Parks is our top priority. We will continue to post updates on this page as we have more information.