Yellowknife’s getting dog park upgrades. What needs to change?

The City of Yellowknife plans to give the city’s dog park a better surface, repaired fencing and new signage – but no garbage bin or poop bags.  

The park will close in the next two weeks for various upgrades to be made. Two weeks after closing, the dog park should reopen with those upgrades completed.  

Mayor Ben Hendriksen told Cabin Radio the city had allocated $45,000 in this year’s budget toward the work. 

“We’ve heard from residents over multiple years,” said Hendriksen. “That’s why this extra money was put in.” 

But while residents who use the dog park have pointed to the lack of a garbage bin for dog poop – and poop bag dispensers that sit empty – the mayor says the city is still studying those issues.

Hendriksen said one concern is whether those facilities would be cared for by the people using them.

“I know that sounds ridiculous but it is the reality,” he said.

Hendriksen added it would be “difficult to get staff available for these types of ongoing services” such as emptying the garbage bin or refilling the bag dispensers.

“We’re all northerners, we’re all used to going out camping and being on the land,” said Hendriksen.

“What you bring with you, take away with you. So for now, that’s sort-of the message to keep with people. What you bring, you take away with you. You’re bringing your dog to the park. Take away any refuse that comes with you.” 

Hendriksen said he and council are open to conversations with residents about long-term practical solutions. 

Nadia Lindsay moved to Yellowknife 10 years ago. In that time, she told Cabin Radio, not much at the dog park has changed. 

“We took our two large dogs down to this supposedly wonderful dog park and when we got there, it literally looked like 300 dogs had done their business,” said Lindsay.

“There was no garbage can. There were no dog poop bags. The gate going into it didn’t work, so we couldn’t close it.

“Even if this wasn’t an absolute disgusting cesspool, if my dog poops, there’s nowhere for me to put what I pick up.”

Lindsay said that experience put them off returning.

“I’ve reached out to the city a number of times in probably the last seven years or so,” another resident, Katie Lessard, told Cabin Radio.

“When I first started coming here, I was hopeful that the city knew the state of the park and would come and fix it, but that didn’t happen.”

Lessard said she tries to keep the dog park clean for other dog owners, dedicating 10-12 hours in the spring just to picking up dog poop. 

“I mostly did it by myself, but my husband came a few times and helped me haul it out,” said Lessard.

“But it’s just bag by bag, hundreds of bags. I left some days because I didn’t have any bags left, but there were still dozens and dozens, probably hundreds of poop messes that I wasn’t able to get to, which is still kind-of apparent if you walk around the perimeter.” 

Among other concerns, Lessard lists potential water contamination, foxtail – a type of grass harmful to dogs – mis-matched terrain and “sketchy” individuals lurking around the dog park, which has no working lock. 

The city lists four designated off-leash dog areas on its website: Tin Can Hill, the sandpits, Fiddler’s Lake Road and behind the fieldhouse. The dog park, which is behind the Yellowknife Community Arena, is the city’s only enclosed area for dogs. 

Both Lessard and Lindsay have found alternative places to take their dogs instead of the dog park.

Lessard said she sometimes takes her dogs to the sandpits but doesn’t feel safe with vehicles driving around. At Tin Can Hill, she said, the dogs could run out of her sight. 

In the winter, Lindsay takes her dogs for walks at Fred Henne Territorial Park.

During Yellowknife’s 2023 evacuation in the face of oncoming wildfires, Lindsay and Lessard said they each had the experience of taking their dogs to better dog parks in southern communities hosting evacuees.

“It was manicured grass and multiple bins and water stations, which I don’t think is unrealistic for Yellowknife,” said Lessard, who stayed in Beaumont, Alberta while Yellowknife was evacuated.

“Cities can have beautiful areas for pets,” said Lindsay, who previously lived in Ontario, “but it has to be a priority. It has to be something that they want to happen.” 

Lindsay said rather than quick upgrades to an existing dog park, the city should “find an area where you can actually put a good dog park, build it, and then maintain it.” 

“There are a few regulars that come here at certain times of the week,” said Lessard. “It’s a really great socializing opportunity and a good place to train them because it’s enclosed. But I think a lot of people have kind-of given up on the location and the state of the park.” 

Hendriksen said he encourages people to continue to voice concerns over the dog park. 

“People who love the dog park and who love their pets, keep advocating, keep speaking to council,” he said.

“It’s what it’s all about.”