SAVE OUR

DOG PARK

Portland PARKS & REC IS TRYING TO SHRINK Lents Off-Leash DOG Area IN HALF AND TURN IT INTO A MUD PIT.

UPDATE: Let’s Pack the Room and Raise Our Voices for Lents Off-Leash Dog Area!
Tuesday, August 12

| 6:30–7:30pm |

📍 Holgate Library, Room 2A

you can take action now


Can we count on you to show up for the Lents Dog Park?
📅 Tuesday, August 12 | 🕡 6:30–7:30pm | 📍 Holgate Library, Room 2A

Your presence at the upcoming Community Listening Session will make a real impact. Let’s fill the room and show Portland Parks & Recreation how much this space means to our community.

✅ Here’s How You Can Help:

🗣 About the Listening Session
From Anna (they/them), Community Engagement Coordinator at Parks & Rec:

“We will host a presentation and listening session where the project team will present an updated design, PP&R staff will discuss park safety and equitable access, and there will be time for questions about design and maintenance decisions.”

If you can’t attend in person, the presentation and Q&A will be shared online and by email.
But in-person voices will carry the most weight, so if you're able, please show up!

Can’t make it? Fill out Section 2 of the survey below, and we’ll share your ideas during the meeting.

 📝 Fill Out the Survey Now!

Please take 1 minute to share how you use Lents Dog Park.
The more responses we gather, the stronger our case will be at the listening session.
Lents Dog Park Community Input Form 

✨ How to Prepare for the Listening Session
First off—just showing up is enough!

But if you’d rather not speak in public, that’s okay, you can share your thoughts on the form below (just mark that you’re not attending, and you’ll get space to share your input). Or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Here are a few helpful questions to think about:

  • What do you like about the park right now?

  • How do you currently use the Off-Leash Area?

  • What do you need from a dog park?

  • If you could imagine a perfectly improved Lents Dog Park, what would it include?

🐾 Recent Updates 

I (Laura, unofficial spokesperson for petition signers) met with three Portland Parks & Rec team members this week. They're clearly dedicated to our parks system and open to community feedback, but we need to show up strong to push for what our dogs and neighbors need.

Right now, the boundary for the Off-Leash Area is approx. 1.3 acres. Based on how heavily the space is used by dog folks, we believe it makes sense to push for at least 2 acres, but we need data to support this ask. That’s where your voice (and this survey!) comes in.

Another challenge we’re facing: significant funding cuts to Parks & Recreation. To truly protect and improve spaces like the Lents Dog Park, we need to reach out to our city councilors and let them know that funding for public parks matters. These decisions are shaped by community input and by who shows up at the ballot box. Our voices and our votes can help ensure that Parks & Rec has the resources it needs to maintain safe, accessible, and joyful public spaces for everyone.

Also worth noting: Parks & Rec appears to mostly hear about dogs through their complaints system, which often reflects negative feedback. We want to make sure they also hear from the many responsible, positive, dog-loving community members who use this park every day.

If you're a data nerd and want to help us dig into statistics or safety facts about dogs in Portland parks, use the contact form below, we’d love your support!


This is it, folks: our chance to be heard. Thank you for your dedication to this space we all love.

Can’t wait to see you there,
Laura & the Lents Dog Park Crew

TAKE ACTION- CLIck here:

WHAT’S Being Proposed:

Portland Parks & Recreation’s plan needs Community Input, help save our dog park NOw!

Here Are the Consequences of the Original Proposal:

  • The off-leash dog area will be shrunk to less than half its current size (approx 60% smaller)

  • That area will then be separated into 2 smaller areas, leaving dogs with 20% of the play space they have now

  • All grass will be torn out, replaced by a dusty, muddy substrate

  • Increased drainage is not part of the plan, according to the Parks and Rec webpage

  • The fence will increase the ability for people to get ticketed $50-150 for leash law violations.

  • The substrate will make our dogs dirty and lead to fewer people using the dog park

  • Fewer people using the dog park will lead to a loss of community and likely more violations of leash laws

    Read full Parks & Recreation proposal here: https://www.portland.gov/parks/lents-park

SIGN THE PETITION

HERE’S OUR PETITION, ON CHANGE.ORG: https://www.change.org/lentsdogpark

Portland Parks and Recreation is planning to shrink Lents Dog Park to a fraction of its size and turn it into a muddy, unusable space—and the community was barely informed. We need your help to pause construction and protect this vital public space.

Sign now to demand a stop to the redesign until the community has a voice.

We, the residents and park users of Lents and surrounding Portland neighborhoods, are calling on the Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation to immediately pause the planned redesign of the Lents Park off-leash dog area.

The current plan would:

  • Drastically reduce the size of the off-leash dog area

  • Replace usable open space with a design that will become a mud pit in winter and dust bowl in summer

  • Move forward without meaningful input from the people who use the park every day

  • Disregard how the space is actually used by the community

For many Lents residents, this dog park is the only safe and accessible place to let our dogs run. We live in a working-class neighborhood where many homes have small yards, or no yard at all. This space brings people together year-round—rain or shine. Redesigning it without consulting us does not reflect the needs or values of the community it serves.

We’re not against park improvements. We welcome them—but they must reflect the real needs of the people who use the space. We are ready to collaborate. What we ask is simple: hit pause and talk to us first.

We demand that Portland Parks and Recreation:

  1. Pause all construction plans related to the dog park redesign

  2. Hold community meetings to gather feedback from actual park users and residents

  3. Protect the current size and function of the off-leash area so it remains accessible, welcoming, and practical

We need your signature to show the city that this community cares—and that we won’t let our green space be taken without a fight.

👉 Sign and share to help protect Lents Dog Park. Let’s do this together.

SEND An EMAIL

WE’VE CRAFTED SOME EMAIL TEMPLATES YOU CAN EDIT (OR NOT!) TO MAKE IT EASY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: SAVE OUR DOG PARK!

HOW TO:

1. Copy script

2. Contact Portland Parks & Recreation:

email Scripts for Portland PArks and Recreation:

Script TO GAIN SUPPORT FROM OUR DISTRICT 1 PORTLAND CITY COUNCILORS:

HOW TO:

1. Copy script

2. Contact Councilors using these links:

Make A phone call

A PHONE CALL SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT LENTS DOG PARK IS TO YOU! Follow the steps below to contact the Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation. It’s easy to leave a message with our script as a guide.

PHONE Scripts for Portland PArks and Recreation:

HOW TO:

1. Script coming soon- any phone call is helpful right now!

2. Contact Portland Parks & Recreation:

  • Ross Swanson, Portland Parks Capital Project Manager

  • Adena Long, Director of Portland Parks & Recreation

  • Max Katz, Project Coordinator

    • 971-917-5338

Thank you for helping save our dog park!

Want to get more involved?

Join the Dog Park Crew and help craft a better plan for our Dog Park!