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Spokane Valley opens first dog park

Sandra Smith and her 12-year-old Boston terrier, Emma, watch Buddy, a 5-year-old basset-poodle-terrier, hop down off a picnic table Monday, June 20, 2016, during a visit to the Valley Mission Dog Park at the corner of Mission Avenue and Bowdish Road. Buddy, who belongs to Dave Peterson, was making his first trip to the park. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Sandra Smith and her 12-year-old Boston terrier, Emma, watch Buddy, a 5-year-old basset-poodle-terrier, hop down off a picnic table Monday, June 20, 2016, during a visit to the Valley Mission Dog Park at the corner of Mission Avenue and Bowdish Road. Buddy, who belongs to Dave Peterson, was making his first trip to the park. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Steve Christilaw steve.christilaw@gmail.com

A portion of Valley Mission Park has officially gone to the dogs.

The Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation Department turned an area of the park at the northwest corner of Mission Avenue and Bowdish Road into the city’s first dog park.

It’s sure to be a hit with the city’s four-legged constituency, who can’t vote but enjoy a good place to romp and play off the leash.

Mike Stone, director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Spokane Valley, said his department would like to open a larger dog park, in the 3- to 5-acre range.

“We realized that we could start smaller and are pleased that we can open this park,” Stone said. “Now that we have this one in, perhaps we can develop a whole slew of pet owners who will be willing to stand up and support us the next time we try to develop a park.

“Part of the challenge here is that vacant property is becoming more and more scarce all the time.”

The small area of Valley Mission Park is described as a “pocket” dog park and includes a plastic bag dispenser and disposal area for owners cleaning up after their dogs – something owners are required to do at all four dog parks in Spokane County.

There are separate areas for small dogs (under 30 pounds) and large dogs. Each has its own foot-activated water fountain for dogs, and the park has a covered entry and a picnic table where owners can relax while their dogs run and play.

Like all area dog parks, there are rules for use. Most importantly: All dogs must be at least 4 months old, licensed and current on all vaccinations. Dogs also must be well socialized to make certain the park experience is enjoyable for all.

“We have a sign detailing the rules of the park that’s ready to put up, and we’ll get that up as soon as we can,” Stone said. “And we want to put in some more amenities when we’re able to. There is pretty much zero shade in some areas of the park and it will get pretty hot when we get into the later part of the summer. We want to put in more trees to help with that. And there are a few more amenities we’d like to get in. This is our first attempt at doing this and I think we covered the basics.”

The facility is open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. All dogs must be leashed as they enter and exit the park. Handlers must be at least 16 years old and carry a leash at all times while the dog is in the park.

Parking is in the main Valley Mission Park lot.

The Spokane Valley site is the fourth dog park to open in Spokane County. The other parks are:

Gateway Dog Park at the former Interstate 90 rest area on the Washington-Idaho border; off-leash area is 3.5 acres.

High Bridge Dog Park on A Street. The park can be reached on both Riverside Avenue coming from downtown Spokane and from Government Way. Features 11 areas where dogs can run off-leash.

South Hill Dog Park at South Altamont Street and East 63rd Avenue, with entrances at South Regal and 65th Avenue. The park features a trail around the perimeter of a large, flat area with plenty of trees. Unlike Gateway and High Bridge, the South Hill park is owned by the city of Spokane and is not technically an off-leash dog park.

Valley Mission Park is a popular spot for all types of recreation, especially swimming and ball sports.

“We see people walking their dogs in that area quite a bit and we see them playing with their dogs off-leash in the park, too,” Stone said. “We’d like to discourage that if we can. Thankfully, we now have an alternative.”

This story has been updated.