New dog park brings the bark back to Portland State

In the dappled shade of Southwest Market Street, a small pack of pooches is having a reunion of sorts.

It’s been years since some of these dogs – and their owners – have seen each other after Portland State University put an end to an informal off-leash area on campus.

Dogs big and small – and separated into their own distinct areas, if the owners choose – spent a recent afternoon bounding after balls and frisbees, safely within the confines of a 7-foot agricultural fence.

At the university’s new dog park — dubbed “Valhowlla” after a community contest landed on a reference to Norse mythology — owners and their pups are running into some familiar mugs.

For Tom Weissip, it was sweet to have others at the park recognize his black French bulldog, Eiffel, from his puppy days.

“He grew up in the other, informal dog park,” Weissip said. “This is such a great continuation of his life.”

Portland is often ranked among the most dog-friendly cities in America. Yet some owners in Stumptown say there’s a growing need for fenced dog parks. Finding a safe space to romp and roll off-leash can be a challenge, particularly downtown.

Realizing a need, Portland State University officials recently opened this official dog park — doggie bags included. It’s not just for students. Neighbors in the bustling urban core say the university is helping make the city more livable.

Amy Williams lives downtown and said she’s looking forward to having an off-leash space within walking distance. She used to take her dog to Wallace Park in Northwest Portland.

“That involves getting in the car,” Williams said. “It’s obviously much nicer to just take a walk through the campus and be here. Also, she gets sick in the car, so I always have to clean up throw up from the backseat.”

According to Portland parks officials, the city ranks in the nation’s top 10 for dogs per population. There are roughly 30 locations across the city where dogs are allowed off-leash, but only about a dozen are fenced. In downtown Portland, there was only one fenced dog park until now.

Vicente Harrison, health, safety, and emergency manager for Portland Parks and Recreation, said he understood why dog owners are happy for more options because there’s an across-the-board demand for things to do in Portland parks.

“There’s demand for almost every recreational activity,” Harrison said. “Like, if you talk to the tennis community, they want to see more tennis courts. If you talk to the pickleball community, they want to see more pickleball courts.”

Building dog parks can be a logistical challenge in general. Land is expensive. Parks are costly to maintain. The city has no plans to add dog areas in any existing parks, either — only when building a new one.

This addition to downtown comes at a time when Portland parks are facing major budget cuts, and the city is increasingly looking to outside groups to pick up the slack.

The location for this half-acre pooch park made sense, according to city and university officials, because it was mostly being used as a construction staging area.

“We’re creating a space for people to sit and stay,” said Lydia Ivanovic, a master’s student at PSU’s urban and regional planning program who helped lead the dog park’s development. “You don’t have to be a student to have a place here, still on campus.”

It’s a role Portland State University is happy to help to fill.

“We just want to be good neighbors and we want to be good partners with the city,” said Sarah Heinicke, the university’s Director of Planning and Sustainability.

“To the extent that we show up for our downtown and for our city neighbors — we’re all for it, and we’re here for that,” Heinicke said.

In the same vein, Heinicke said the university hopes to transform another lesser-used plot of land into a community garden.

Back inside “Valhowlla,” tails — and stumps — wag. The slobber flies, even as the reunion winds down.

Two owners, and their four dogs, are heading to a nearby bar for dinner — ‘paws’-itively thrilled to be together.

Eiffel, the little Frenchie, and his owner Weissip are also calling it a night. On his way out, Weissip stops to appreciate the moment. We need more dog parks downtown, he said, and hopes this one sticks around.

OPB’s Conrad Wilson contributed to this report.