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Mall's Weekly Dog-Walking Event Cancelled After Growing Too Big, Too Messy

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Twin Cities mall is done opening its doors to dog-walkers after a weekly Sunday morning event grew too big and too messy.

In a Monday tweet, Rosedale Center says it's cancelling dog walking hours on Sundays because the mall isn't able to clean up properly before shops open to customers.

For the last year, the north metro mall has welcomed morning dog-walkers each Sunday, The Star Tribune reports. But as the parade of pooches grew bigger each week, there became issues with pet owners leaving messes behind. There were also complaints from shoppers allergic to pet hair.

"It started to get out of control," Lisa Crain, Rosedale's vice president and general manager, told the newspaper. "It was like Black Friday shopping but it was dogs."

Initially, the mall, which opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays, tried knocking the dog-walking period back an hour, from 9-11 a.m. to 8-10 a.m. Still, the messes remained.

Dog-walkers told The Star Tribune that they're sad the weekly event, which offered a haven from the snow and cold, has been cancelled.

The last dog-walking event at Rosedale Center is slated for this Sunday. The mall is encouraging disappointed dog-walkers to find other dog-friendly activities at SidewalkDog.com.

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