How far is it around the fence line at the Minooka Park dog exercise areas?

Since the dog exercise areas opened at Minooka Park in October 2007, they've provided dog owners with a great place to let their dogs run around without having to be tethered to a leash.

Many dog owners also try to get a little exercise of their own while in the dog areas, walking in a loop as close to fence line as they can get. But for exercisers, it's kind of nice to know how far you're walking. So exactly how far is it around the fence line?

Minooka has two dog exercise areas, a 3.8-acre space for small breed dogs and an 11.9-acre space for large breeds. The distance around the fence line of the large breed dog exercise area is 3,500 feet, or .66 miles, while the distance around the small breed fence line is 1,700 feet, or .32 miles.

It's hard to walk right next to the fence around the entire area because of trees and other plant materials, so the distance achieved by someone walking a loop is probably a little less than the full length of the fence line. So someone who wants to make sure they walk a mile should probably go around the large breed area twice or the small breed area four times.

The county encourages people who like to walk over a mile to use the trails in the park, although dogs must be on a six-foot leash in those areas.

What do you want to know? E-mail your questions to nowyouknow@wi.rr.com.