City opens seventh dog park at Mother Waldron in Kakaako

Another city-run, off-leash dog park is now on the map of Oahu.

City officials have opened a new dog park at Mother Waldron Park on Pohukaina Street in Kakaako.

The new, 7,900-square-foot park runs alongside a walkway adjacent to Fisher Hawaii, and is the city’s 7th off-leash dog park. It is a simple park, with no water fountain or separate areas for small and large dogs, but a chain-linked fence surrounds a rectangular, grassy area with a few trees that provide shade.

>> PHOTOS: Dogs run wild at city’s newest dog park in Kakaako

A soft opening was held Jan. 31, according to Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Nathan Serota, while an opening celebration will be held next Friday.

News about the new dog park is getting around in the canine community, and some nearby Kakaako residents have discovered it, while others have not.

“It’s nice to finally have a place where dogs can go,” said Kailee Topping, who was dog-sitting her sister’s puppy, Odie. “It’s exciting to see a new park.”

Topping expects to be a regular at the park.

Earlier today, Dan Kueny of Honolulu was at the park for the first time with his two dogs, Lulu Del Ray and Kaidoi, both rescues, to meet a friend.

The park, he noted, was not huge, but had a “nice length to it,” offering dogs the opportunity to get in a good run.

“It’s good for socialization,” Kueny said of dog parks. “It allows them to get out and really stretch their legs. We’re on an island where a lot of places people live, they don’t have yards.”

Kueny said it would be great if off-leash dog parks were available in all of Oahu’s neighborhoods.

“If you have little neighborhood parks everywhere, I think it also builds a community,” he said. “You get neighbors out talking to each other…If you have people walking to their neighborhood dog parks, you have eyes out everywhere, as well. I think it makes for a safer community altogether.”

Kakaako resident Maggie Johnson, has a mini dachshund named Mabel, who often accompanies her to shops at Salt at Kakaako.

She had not yet heard of the new dog park just a block away, but was thrilled.

“There are so many dogs around this area,” Johnson said. “She likes to be off-leash, so having somewhere she can run would be great.”

The city has been rolling out several new dog parks in past months, although plans for one at Ala Moana Regional Park were recently scrapped.

In January, the city held a blessing for a 9,325-square-foot, off-leash dog park at Kalo Place Mini Park in Moiliili. The park, formerly underused and frequented by the homeless, was transformed into a dog park in a private-public partnership with the Hawaiian Humane Society next door.

The city last month also broke ground on another dog park at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park in Waipahu. The 12,800-square-foot park, which will be the city’s 8th dog park, is expected to open this fall.

Serota said the Kakaako dog park was constructed in-house by Department of Parks and Recreation staff. A set of rules is posted on the sign at the park’s gate.

Hours for the Kakaako off-leash dog park will be the same as Mother Waldron Park, from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless otherwise noted on signs.