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Kelly Merkeley and her dogs Abby and Zoe show off the site of the puppy enclosure.

The site of the Maple Grove Dog Park’s future puppy enclosure isn’t much to look at.

Chosen because of an existing chain link fence that surrounds most of the site, the area is overgrown with weeds and burrs.

"It doesn’t look like much right now," said Kelly Merkeley, co-chair of the Maple Grove Dog Park Owners Association. "It looks like a nightmare."

But thanks to a $1,600 grant from the city, the space will soon be suitable for puppies and smaller dogs.

And the puppy enclosure is just the start of what the association’s board envisions for the park.

Maple Grove, located near St. Mary’s Road just north of the perimeter, is the largest of the city’s 13 dog parks, said Whyte Ridge-based Merkeley.

It’s a well-used space — the association itself has almost 400 members, and Merkeley said plenty more dog owners decline to be part of the association.

The rules are simple: dogs can be off-leash as long as their owners clean up after them and can recall them by voice.

"You just see your dogs running through the field and their unbridled joy is such a good thing to see," Merkeley said.
But the park could use some improvements, she added.

That’s why the association — which nearly ceased to exist until Merkeley breathed new life into it — is now working more closely with the city.

"We’ve had a bit more of a formal relationship with the city in the past few years," she said.

The city recommended they hire a landscape architect, who told board members during a consultation to let their imaginations run wild.

"We basically just started to dream," Merkeley said.

On top of the wish list is lighting for the paths, to make the park safer during the winter months when it’s dark by 4 p.m.

The association would also like to see more benches, making it more convenient for seniors who take their dogs out for exercise.

A parking lot and more paths would be appreciated too, she added, as well as bridges to make the forest more accessible during the springtime when the bordering Red River rises.

"The forest is not really passable in the spring, so we lose a good quarter of it," Merkeley said. 

But the puppy enclosure was the easiest project to begin with, since most of the fencing is already in place.

Merkeley said the enclosure will be perfect for small or young dogs that might be intimidated by larger canines.

It will also be ideal for owners who haven’t used off-leash areas before and are worried their dogs won’t return, she added.

Merkeley admitted there’s a ways to go before the other projects come to fruition.

The association is in the midst of drawing up an agreement with the city that would make the co-operation more official. Until that happens, she said, funding for larger projects can’t flow.

But Merkeley and other board members are optimistic about the future for Maple Grove Dog Park.

South St. Vital resident Kathleen Clear, a member-at-large on the board, said she supports the proposed projects — as long they don’t take away from the natural feel to the park.

 "I don’t want to see it get too glamoured up."

arielle.godbout@canstarnews.com