The Josephine Gardens dog park in central Denver will close later this year, but some of its regular users are petitioning the city in hopes of a new place nearby to take their pets.
The park was always temporary, as the land was bought by the city at Colfax Avenue and Josephine Street next to Denver East High School. But in the few years the dog park has been open, it’s become a highly active place. The park will close when construction begins on the recreation center, likely sometime in November.
“I actually drive past two other dog parks specifically to go to this park,” said Ethan Hackley, a regular user. “I like the vibe there, the people, the space. Dog parks can be overwhelming if overpopulated.”
A smaller dog play area is planned for the recreation center, but at a quarter of the size of the current dog park, some say that won’t be enough.
“I think people would use it, because it’s better than nothing,” park user Christi Johnson said. “But for the vast majority, I’m not sure about parking or traffic with the high school, rec center and dog park. That’s a lot going on.”
Johnson said as many as 50 dogs can be out in the 1-acre lot with their owners on a given evening.
Hackley, Johnson and some of the others who regularly meet at the park began circulating a petition to ask the city to build a new dog park in central Denver. An and petitions circulated at the park have more than 3,000 signatures. There’s also the question of where the park would be.
The first thought by petitioners was City Park — about a block north — but that idea was quickly rebuffed as organizers learned of the difficulties that would be involved from the parks department.
“Right now, I’m not looking at doing at any new projects in City Park,” said Denver Parks and Recreation interim director Scott Gilmore.
He acknowledged that he has heard from the petitioning group and plans to meet with them, but City Park is off the table. He cited neighborhood opposition and the ongoing effort to get the park designated as a landmark. The designation would change the process for any changes at the park.
Gilmore also opened the door to forming a new master plan for dog parks in Denver. The previous plan came out in 2010 and produced the Railyard Dog Park at 19th Avenue and Little Raven Street, Lowry Dog Park at East Fourth Place and Yosemite Street and Parkfield Dog Park and 53rd Avenue and Chambers Road. More recently, the , leaving a void in west Denver.
“We understand there is a need,” Gilmore said. “We see it.”
Part of that need comes from an increase in population in both people and dogs since 2010. While there is no exact count, it is estimated there are 149,114 dogs owned by people in Denver, up from 129,803 in 2010. The figures are from the Denver Animal Shelter and based on a census formula from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
All dogs are supposed to be registered at the Denver Animal Shelter, but spokeswoman Kerra Jones noted that it’s inexact as some don’t register, or registrations expire.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
