Woof! Canby dog park has the scent of reality to it

Long desired, often whispered about, but seldom with enough momentum to come to fruition, a Canby dog park project is closer to reality.

Plans for the park are with the Canby Parks and Recreation Board and according to Mayor Brian Hodson, signs point to a place for the dog park solidifying – near the Walnut Street extension that will tie the industrial park to Highway 99E.

It's a project with a long history in Canby. In the next couple of years, that history will become a reality.

“There have been a number of starts and stops on this,” Hodson said. “The history of this project has been a little bit of ‘Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.’ I think we’re on a good path now to see something like this come in and fill a need that people have wanted here in Canby.”

Hodson said that a desire for a dog park has been part of the community’s conversation since he first became mayor, and likely before that. But now, with the Walnut Street project online, and the chance to tie it to that project, Hodson said the costs could be lower than originally thought.

“Because we’ll be making it part of the road project out there, we are anticipating that it will not be as costly as it might have been at a site on Territorial (Road),” Hodson said. “Folks have kind of made that piece of land a pseudo-dog park for the area. Developing that would have cost a significant amount and it looks like that cost will be more affordable with this project.”

The initial thought for the park would be to have separate small and larger dog areas, something that is becoming more and more common. Hodson said that when completed, it should be a nice area for dog-owners to stretch their canine’s legs in.

“This current iteration of the dog park came about from our public works director (Jerry Nelzen) who saw this as an opportunity,” Hodson explained. “We are building this road, and we can attach this to that project. The conversation for this project really got going the end of 2023, beginning of 2024. It’s really that new in terms of discussions about this particular spot.”

Hodson said that the new road and dog park are probably a couple years out, with clearing land for the road to start sometime in 2025. Finished the street and dog park project will be at least another year out after that.

“When it’s done it will be a great extension out of the industrial park and we will finally have the dog park people have wanted,” Hodson said.