There are no dog parks in west Wichita. Some City Council members want to change that

When Reece Hembree takes his dog, Simba, to the dog park, he has to drive east. That’s because Hembree lives out west, and the closest dog park is on Meridian, in north central Wichita.

“The closest one I saw was like 11 to 12 miles away, and I was like, ‘OK,’” he said. “It’s not bad, but it would be pretty convenient to have one somewhere in west Wichita.”

That’s a common request, the two City Council members who represent west Wichita say.

“It’s something that’s brought up in my district board advisory meetings, it’s something that people have hit me up in public about, and I think it’s because, you know, they see all the neat dog parks at Harrison Park, and out east, and other areas of the city,” said council member Jeff Blubaugh, who represents District 4 in southwest Wichita.

Bryan Frye, who represents District 5 in northwest Wichita, said he has heard requests for a dog park during seven years on the council and eight years on the park board.

“The west side has lacked a facility for dog owners and their pets so it’s always been a desire to get one. So then looking at budget needs and capital requests it’s been a tough ask, but the demand has not gone away,” Frye said.

There are five dog parks in the city — one south, one southeast, two north and one downtown.

When Frye asked city staff for the number of dog licenses in west Wichita, he was surprised to see that the area — which includes ZIP codes 67212, 67205, 67209 and 67235 — had roughly 9,000 licenses. That’s very high for a place with no dog park, Frye said. In comparison, the area that serves the Meridian dog park has about 4,800 licenses, and the area that serves Chapin Dog Park has about 6,700.

“The demand is certainly there. The number of dog licenses certainly proves it,” Frye said. “And the number of requests that I have received from neighbors has certainly added to that.”

How much would it cost to put a dog park out west? That depends, Frye said.

“There’s a lot of things you have to look into,” he said. “Land, obviously. If we already own the land makes a lot more sense than purchasing. You want to make sure you have access to a water source, so the pets can be hydrated. Lighting for security, obviously. And if there’s already parking or if you need to add parking. Obviously you need to build a fence, corrals and shade structures … all those things factor in.”

Depending on these factors, Frye said it could take between $350,000 and $750,000 to build a dog park.

During a city budget retreat in May, Frye brought up the topic of dog parks in west Wichita when the council was discussing park projects, including three new dog parks. They discussed the possibility of a west Wichita dog park being built in Country Acres but are also looking at other locations and options. The proposed capital improvement program allocates $750,000 for Country Acres in 2023.

“The other two are more just conceptual, expanding our network of dog parks, whereas the one at Country Acres is more specific,” said Mark Manning, director of finance.

Blubaugh brought up the idea of adding a dog park to Pawnee Prairie Park, which has over 400 acres in southwest Wichita.

“Just because the large size of the park, the attendance has really gone up at the park … people are already walking their dog out there, it would be kind of nice to have a free run area,” he said.

Blubaugh’s district advisory board is looking into turning the Pawnee Prairie shelter building into a community center and allocating an area for an animal shelter and a dog park. The next step is taking it to the park department.

Because Pawnee Prairie Park is a nature reserve area, and an undeveloped park, it would not be ideal for a dog park, Director of Parks and Recreation Troy Houtman said. It also has paths for horseback riding.

“Introducing dogs on a large basis with all the activity would scare away all the wildlife that people really enjoy,” Houtman said.

There are many aspects to consider when selecting a location for a dog park, Houtman said. The site needs to be isolated, or at least not around neighborhoods so neighbors won’t be disturbed. It also needs to have parking, shade and a water source.

Pawnee Prairie doesn’t have an accessible water source, Houtman said.

“Those are the major things we really look for in regards to what would be the best location,” Houtman said.

Hembree said that he would be interested in seeing some areas out west repurposed.

“They could repurpose some area in Sedgwick County Park maybe. There’s plenty of space out somewhere,” Hembree said. “My house is not fenced in so I can’t just let him out.”

Sedgwick County Park is a county park that’s not under city control.

In order to bring a dog park to west Wichita, it would have to be budgeted in the city’s capital improvement plan. The current proposal allocates $600,000 for dog parks — $300,000 for 2023 and another $300,000 for 2024. Frye said it would be ideal to find a partner for the park.

“Maybe there’s a private industry, or group or individual that would like to help fund it,” Frye said. “That could speed things up and add more amenities for not only the dogs but also the owners. All of that is going to take some time, obviously.

“I’m still hopeful that by next year we’ll have something open to the public if we could get it going this year.”

Houtman said dog parks are important for many reasons.

“The popularity of the dog parks is not [just] for the socialization of dogs, but also for the people as well,” Houtman said. “They create their own networks and it’s really interesting to see how they are supportive of each other. It’s a great way for them to learn about all the different breeds of dogs, who’s the best vet, who is dog sitting.

“There’s a whole community all together.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 5:00 AM.