Cumberland dog park welcomes local pooches

Margaret Christopherson, Lafayette Journal & Courier
·2 min read

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. − With the ribbon on the new Cumberland Dog Park in West Lafayette being officially been cut, dogs of all shapes and sizes are welcome to frolic and make new friends as much as they like.

This project began about a year ago and is in response to the opening of Happy Hollow Dog Park, which, according to West Lafayette Parks and Recreation staff, had some of the most positive feedback of any project completed in recent memory.

With a clear demand for a bigger dog park from the public heard, work on the Cumberland Dog Park soon began.

Mayoral comments

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis spoke along with a few other public city leaders about the new dog park.

"People are coming here (West Lafayette) now from all around the world," Dennis said. "And they're choosing West Lafayette because of now just who we are, but what are. And I think this dog park is emblematic of what we are. We love our people, we love our pets and we love our community."

Larry Oates, president of West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission, commented on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the timeline of the dog park's opening as well as the few rules of the park.

"When we built the Happy Hollow Dog Park...we were right in the middle of COVID," Oates said. "And we were hearing constantly from people …'Hey we're locked down, we need some place to take the dog. We need to do something'...Not only did we get hit with COVID...we were also hit with a whole bunch of supply shortages...(And I was told) there was no fencing anywhere in the country.

"...But with persistence we finally got that park put together and put out there for the public."

Cumberland Dog Park Rules

Dogs play in the new park during the ribbon cutting, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, at Cumberland Dog Park in West Lafayette, Ind.
Dogs play in the new park during the ribbon cutting, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, at Cumberland Dog Park in West Lafayette, Ind.

Oates listed a few rules for Cumberland Dog Park, which are also listed on a few signs at the entrance of the park.

These rules include:

  • The park is open from dawn to dusk each day

  • All dogs must be properly vaccinated

  • Dogs must be spayed or neutered

  • Small children are not recommended to enter the park

  • Clean up after your pets

  • While it is recommended that owners bring their own bags to clean up after their dogs, some bags are available on site

  • No food inside the park

Cumberland Dog Park is located next to the West Lafayette Wellness center, 501 Kalberer Road, West Lafayette.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Dogs welcome as Cumberland Dog Park officially opens