Due to popular demand, Waterloo Park plans on hosting a permanent site
City Launches Interim Dog Park in Waterloo Park Amid Plans for Permanent Site
The City of Waterloo opened an off-leash dog park at the Westmount Road entrance of Waterloo Park on Sept. 4.
On June 24, 2025, the council unanimously approved $45,000 in funding for the park. The park provides an interim off-leash space while a permanent location for a dog park is determined, and it will remain for the next two years.
“We want to see how the park operates,” said Dorothy McCabe, the City of Waterloo’s mayor. “It’s been something that residents in the uptown area have requested for several years. So, we’ll see how it goes.”
In 2024, the city received a registered delegation from the Waterloo Council requesting an off-leash dog park in the Eby farmstead, where animals were housed.
“That delegation suggested turning the enclosures into a leash-free park,” said Robin Milne, Waterloo’s Director of parks, forestry, and cemetery services.
However, since the area has various existing uses, including the ION track, baseball diamonds, and the playground, the site was deemed unsuitable to introduce more traffic, especially associated with dogs. Instead, the dog park was built on Westmount Road.
Milne said several locations in the uptown area were candidates for the park’s temporary home, but the location at Waterloo Park West was deemed ready for use. The Waterloo staff will be engaging with community members starting this fall to find a permanent home for the leash-free dog park. They will also be listening to the community’s feedback on several evaluation criteria, including the park’s size, conflicts with other park activities, and overall accessibility.
The city is also planning to update the Waterloo Park plan. In 2009, the city created a Waterloo Park plan that hasn’t been updated for quite some time.
“So, part of that will be going to the community, talking to them, engaging with them, and understanding their needs and what they’re looking for in the park,” said Milne.
Milne also shared that residents reacted positively to the temporary park and its chosen location. The location was chosen because urban intensification is bringing more residents, and their pets, into the city’s core, and data from Waterloo’s DocuPet licensing program shows a high concentration of dogs in the area.
Milne explained that dog parks are social areas, not only for dogs but also for their owners. They are typically active areas within any municipality. The city sees it as an opportunity to increase active living opportunities.
Milne acknowledged that a new dog park could add strain to Waterloo Park, but said the city chose the least crowded area to minimize impact. He added that future plans will focus on uptown Ward 7, “where we saw a large concentration of pet owners.”
A permanent dog park was identified and budgeted for in the 2027 capital plan, with a strong chance of approval.
“There are more changes coming to Waterloo Park,” McCabe said. “We encourage residents to share their ideas as we move forward.”
Contributed Photo/Sangjun Han/News Director
