By Matt Wendland

Early this year, Kellie Bassen and a number of other participants in Burien’s B-Town Dog Owners Group (B-Town DOG) entered the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest with hopes of winning a $500,000 prize to be used in completing their ongoing effort to establish an off-leash dog park in Burien. Out of 1010 accepted applicants from across the America, Kellie Bassen’s submission moved on to be one of the 14 finalists in the running for the prize.

The Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest is an annual competition where dog owners can submit an application to win a makeover for their existing dog park that could cost up to half a million dollars. While the first phase of the contest was a simple application explaining the contestants dog park dream, the second phase requires voting on videos produced by finalists.

Each of the 14 finalists were required to make an amateur video about their community, pet, and dreams for a dog park makeover. Bassen’s original submission was titled “Pirate Pup Beach” playing off of the Highline High School Pirates and Burien’s location along the Puget Sound. According to the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest website, Kellie said “I would do a pirate themed park with a large and small "ocean", walk the plank agility see saw, a "sunken" ship to climb on. Sandy beach around the water features for the pups to tear around in, and a grassy area for those landlubber doggies who just want to run and fetch. They could jump or climb up over sized seashells. I'd also have a place for their humans to sit and interact at driftwood tables with treasure chest benches. A drinking trough would be filled by a whale blow hole fountain.”

In compliance with the official Beneful rules, Kellie contacted members of the B-Town DOG to help her make a video explaining why Burien is the perfect place for the next Beneful “Dream Dog Park.” In the video recorded entirely on smartphones, Kellie takes a walk through Burien with her dog, Bailey, and explains that Burien is a “wonderful place to raise a dog” but because of a lack of a useable dog park, there is no place for Bailey, and other dogs in Burien, to run off leash and socialize. After explaining her vision for a dog park in Burien, Kellie states “That’s my dream for a dog park. I wonder what Bailey dreams about.” From there, the video takes a major turn as views get a glimpse into “Bailey’s Dream” - A black and white sequence reminiscent of silent films with a touch of Benny Hill and Charlie Chaplin comedy. In Bailey’s Dream, members of the B-Town DOG and their pups are searching for a lost treasure map at Seahurst Beach with no success. Kellie and Bailey arrive to find the downtrodden group, dressed as pirates, just in time to save the day and find the treasure, a chest full of Beneful dog food, at Burien’s new dog park.

While not necessarily usable in it’s current state, Burien technically does have its very own off-leash dog park. Earlier this year the Burien City Council designated the upper level of Lakeview Park on SW 160th Streat as an official dog park. While the lower level of the park has been developed into a park complete with playground, paths and plenty of open space, the upper level of the park where Lakeview Elementary once stood, is covered in gravel and building remains and is overgrown with weeds and vines. With no housing directly against the park, this vacant space has often attracted undesirable or criminal activity. According to residents living near the park, the development of a dog park in the vacant space could turn the empty acre and a half into a community asset that could help deter crime in the area.

The B-Town DOG is currently working on raising the projected cost of nearly $40,000 to open the park to the public. But all of that could change if Bassen wins the grand prize of up to half of a million dollars towards the dream park.

To win the $500,000, Kellie and Bailey’s video must receive the most votes by visitors to the Beneful website. Voting is relatively simple and requires either the creation of a personal account or the connection of one’s Facebook account. Individuals are allowed to vote once a day until voting closes in early December.

To learn more about the B-Town Dog Owners Group, visit "www.facebook.com/btowndog” and to watch the official Bailey’s Dream video submission and vote to support Kellie Bassen in the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest, visit “www.bit.ly/btowndog"