DETROIT — Detroit Dog Park, a nonprofit that turns vacant land into parks for dogs and people, is opening the city’s first canine-focused park at 17th and Rose streets in Corktown on Saturday.
“There are a lot of dogs in Detroit and a lot of vacant land,” says Megha Satyanaryana, who founded the nonprofit with friends three years ago, after growing tired of commuting outside of Detroit to access similar facilities.
Located near the Michigan Central Station at the former Macomb Playlot, the 10,000-square-foot PetSmart PUP’s Detroit Dog Park includes cleanup stations, moveable benches, and lighting. This is PetSmart’s third P.U.P., or pop-up park, following two sites in Phoenix.
“We were looking to bring a PUP to a city with vacant land and lots of pets and pet parents who would enjoy it — Detroit had both,” says Erin Gray, spokeswoman for PetSmart. “PetSmart connected with Detroit Dog Park in February because we heard they had been working since 2011 to bring a dog park to Detroit. It was perfect timing for us.”
Gray says PetSmart hopes to bring the PUP to four more U.S. cities by the end of the year.
The Detroit park, which is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, will host a grand opening celebration 10 a.m. Saturday. For more information, visit detroitdogpark.org.
