City Changes Mind on Dog Licensing—Will a Dog Park be Next?

Golden Valley city council members admit, when they first considered eliminating dog licensing, they hadn't considered the cost to the hundreds of dog owners in the city.

On Tuesday night, the council voted to continue discussions on the dog licensing. Maintaining the current program by increasing fees will be discussed at the March 8 council manager meeting at

Golden Valley doesn't have any public dog parks, and if you want to bring your pooch to a Minneapolis park, it has to be licensed. If not for $6 in Golden Valley, you can have the dog licensed in Minneapolis for about $50. The council has talked about moving to a fee of $15 that's used in Crystal.

“There’s a level of comfort to me that there is a license that you’re supposed to have,” said Councilman Bob Shaffer at a Feb. 8 meeting. “At this point, I don’t feel comfortable taking it away. I think it’s more the feeling of security.”

And after receiving letters, emails and phone calls from Golden Valley dog owners, the council says it's now open to other ways of making the city more dog-friendly.

Stefan Watkins, who owns a golden retriever and lives near , addressed the mayor and some council members after Tuesday's meeting. He, like many residents, wants a dog park to be added to Theodore Wirth Park. While the park is in Golden Valley, it's operated by the city of Minneapolis.

"Sure, it'd just be nice to have a place to have her off her leash, but it's maybe more for me than the dog, actually. It would be nice to socialize with some of my neighbors who have dogs," Watkins told the mayor. "I can't do anything about the park that I attend because I'm not a Minneapolis citizen. I should have some kind of say."

The city doesn't disagree. In fact, there have been several attempts to bring a dog park here.

"We just have not been successful in getting Minneapolis to put aside space for a dog park (at Theodore Wirth Park)," Mayor Linda Loomis told Watkins and other council members following the meeting. "But that doesn't mean it can't happen. And if someone comes up with a good idea, we're certainly open to it."

Loomis says some groups have looked at French Regional Park and Blazer Park but couldn't find a plan that wouldn't require extra staffing or new parking arrangements. 

"We do have a representative with Minneapolis Parks," she said.  "She just needs to hear from you.  And the park board needs to hear from Golden Valley."

Those interested in a adding a dog park to Theo Wirth should contact Anita Tabb, the Minneapolis parks commissioner representing that park. Those interested in seeing the city pursue a facility at French Park can contact Joan Peters with the Three Rivers Park Board.

People can also lend their thoughts and comments to the issue at the next city council meeting, March 15.