WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Waco dog owners have been without a dedicated dog park for nearly a year since the HOT Dog Park closed last September. One of the few alternatives, Holly Dog Park, which is privately owned and too small to accommodate the demand from residents across Waco, China Spring, Hewitt, and West.
- The HOT Dog Park in Waco closed last September, leaving dog owners from Waco, China Spring, Hewitt and West searching for alternatives.
- Mike Miller and other dog owners have reached out to the Waco City Council about identifying potential locations for a new dog or temporary dog park.
- The five-year Capital Improvement Plan includes a possible future dog park, but the current focus is on completing major projects already underway.
- Staff will continue exploring options for a potential dog park, including partnerships and funding opportunities, but completing current projects remains the priority.
You can watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dog owners in Waco and surrounding communities have been searching for alternatives since the HOT Dog Park closed 11 months ago, leaving a small privately-owned facility to serve the area.
"They want a dog park, I know I miss it," said Mike Miller, a local dog owner.
Since last September, residents from Waco, China Spring, Hewitt and even West have been looking for new places to take their dogs after the HOT Dog Park closed.
The closure left one smaller nearby option — Holly Dog Park, which is privately owned.
"This park's privately owned but it's small. People at the HOT dog park came here in droves when the HOT dog park closed, but it's so small, this place gets crowded really fast," Miller said.
While Miller appreciates the owner providing this free community space for dogs to exercise, he and other advocates continue pushing for a city-run dog park.
"They put in funding. I think the plea was $800 and some thousand dollars for next year towards a dog park," Miller said.
According to Miller, he was told the funding request was denied.
"He said there was budget cuts city wide and I get that, but he also said that they would talk about a committee with citizens involved to look at the parks around town to put up a fence or whatever existing parks where they could use a temporary or permanent dog park," Miller said.
When 25 News reporter Dominique Leh reached out to the City Parks and Recreation Director about funding and potential park locations, they provided a statement explaining that while the city's five-year Capital Improvement Plan includes ideas for a possible future dog park, current focus remains on completing several major projects already underway.
These projects include the Alice Martinez Rodriguez Park, China Spring Park, and a new playground at the Bledsoe-Miller STEM Center. The city is in final stages of the bid process for both AMR Park and China Spring Park, with construction to follow once contracts are awarded.
The statement added that staff will continue exploring options for a potential dog park, including possible partnerships and funding opportunities, but completing current projects remains the immediate priority.
Miller has reached out to the Waco City Council about identifying new locations for a dog park.
The City Council is currently reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with a presentation scheduled for the August 5 Council meeting.
As part of the budget process, staff provides a five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) outlining potential projects for the parks system. While this plan includes many ideas—such as a possible dog park in the future—our current focus is on delivering several major projects already underway. These include the Alice Martinez Rodriguez Park, China Spring Park, and the new playground at the Bledsoe-Miller STEM Center. We are in the final stages of the bid process for both AMR Park and China Spring Park, and construction will follow once contracts are awarded.
Looking ahead, staff will continue to explore options for a potential dog park, including possible partnerships and funding opportunities. However, the immediate priority is completing the significant park projects already in progress that benefit residents across the community.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
