City of Laredo Introduces New Dog Park
Written by admin, Feb 10, 2022, 0 Comments
District 7 Council Member Hosted a Ribbon-cutting Ceremony for the K9 Kimmie’s Corner Dog Park
Courtesy David Alegria,
Laredo, Texas – On Wednesday, February 9th, District 7 Council Member, Vanessa Perez, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly installed K9 Kimmie’s Corner Dog Park, located at 4418 Old Santa Maria Rd.
The ceremony celebrated the inauguration of the dog park that honors Kimmie, a former explosives detection K9 canine for the Laredo Police Department. The event welcomed other City leaders and officials including Council Member for District 8, Alyssa Cigarroa, Interim City Manager, Keith Selman, Chief of Police, Claudio Treviño, Jr., and other representatives from the Laredo Police Department.
The dog park is the first to be named after a Laredo Police Department K9 unit member. Kimmie was named after a cartoon called “Kim Possible.” Unlike other police dogs, Kimmie was an abandoned puppy found by an investigator, dirty and covered with fire ants, in a developing area of the city. She was then taken to another investigator, Martin Guerra, who dreamed of becoming a K9 handler and trained her to become an explosives detection K9. After a year of hard work, Kimmie became a certified police dog in 2005 and led a storied career, leading to the discovery of improvised explosives and ensuring the safety of high level dignitaries such as President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and former First Lady Hillary Clinton during their visits to Laredo. Kimmie also participated in school presentations with an objective to motivate children through her story. As Investigator Guerra stated during the ceremony, Kimmie’s story is a testimony that anything is possible through hard work and an inspiration for children to be successful. Her memory is commemorated through this dog park.
“I want to start off by thanking the citizens of Laredo for making this project possible as well as City Management and staff for their support,” expressed Council Member Perez. “This project was citizen driven. It began with constituents expressing their desire for a new dog park with a recommendation of this specific field. I am proud of the work that has been done, especially having this field in better conditions than it was before.”
Although the park is installed in District 7, it will soon belong to District 8 after the redistricting process concludes.
