ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The largest public dog park in Kent County officially opened Friday at Wahlfield Park, giving dogs plenty of space to run and play.
WATCH STORY HERE
The new facility is the first dog park in the Kent County park system.
"The community has been asking for a dog park like this," said Ben Swayze, Kent County Parks director.
Swayze said officials wanted to create a destination that would draw visitors from across the region.
"We needed a place where somebody, whether they be in the city of Grand Rapids or the village of Caledonia or up north in Sand Lake, some place that they'd be willing to come and drive a little bit to come visit it. So, we made it big," Swayze said.
The 10-acre park includes a one-acre pond, agility ramps, a diving dock and a wash station for cleaning dogs before they go home.
Dog owners who visited the park Friday praised the new facility.
"It's amazing. I mean, we've kind of seen the process of it being built, and it exceeds expectations. It's fantastic. My dog, on the other hand, is elated. He's just-he's a water guy, so he's loving this," said Becca Couturier of Comstock Park, who brought her dog Monty to check out the park.
Laura Jorgenson of Grand Rapids brought her dog, Cooper, to the opening.
"I've never seen him so happy. This is like doggy heaven. He's just ecstatic," Jorgenson said.
Fritz Wahlfield II, whose parents donated the first property for the park more than 40 years ago, helped build the dog park through his construction company.
"When we first envisioned it on that conceptual drawing back in 2018, I could envision it because I'm in the business and say, you know what, we got to be part of this and look at reality of what it is today," Wahlfield said.
The dog park is open daily from 7 a.m. until sunset.
This story was initially reported 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.
