Pools Removed, Prohibited at Bear Dog Park

If you frequent in Roseville, you may be wondering why the kiddie pools have been removed. It’s for the health safety of your pet, as well as in response to ongoing drainage issues at the park, according to Scott Miller, parks and recreation manager with the .

Miller said the removal of the pools is an effort to improve the overall condition of the park. Recently, parts of the park have been re-sodded as well.

“Mud has been an issue in the park for several years,” he said, adding that the city has spent thousands of dollars on unsuccessful drainage repairs and replacements. The culprit seemed to be the pools, donated by residents or park goers and not provided by the city.

“The majority of it was the swimming pools constantly dumped out during the day,” Miller said.

Pet owners would fill the pools up, dogs would cool off in them, the water would turn muddy and owners would dump the water and refill the pool. This not only left a muddy area surrounding the cool-off station, but Miller said staff received a number of calls of dogs getting sick from the stagnant water. Miller said staff spoke to several veterinarians who said it was not a major concern and compared it to a child getting a cold.

“We felt it was still an issue,” Miller said.

A notice from the City of Roseville has been posted on the gates of Bear Dog Park informing pet owners of the changes. The changes were in effect starting July 19 only within the large dog area at Bear Dog Park, Miller said. Pools are still allowed at in Roseville because “drainage is designed to accommodate a lot of flow,” Miller said.

The large open space areas surrounding Bear Dog Park limit the amount of drainage that can be released from the park – it’s not designed for that volume of water, Miller said.

“It’s used so heavily and the volume of water was significantly more than the other sites,” he said.

Also prohibited are large jugs of water that were left filled near the water fountain in the large dog area. However, pet owners are allowed to bring their own pet water bowls as long as they take it with them when they leave.

Dogs still have access to the cool-off area, wash area and water fountain within Bear Dog Park.

“You can still hose your dog down there,” Miller said.

Still have questions? Contact Park Maintenance at 774-5748.