Whether you have a chill, laid-back pug or a springy, high-energy Labrador retriever, the Alpenglow Park dog area has a safe space for your pup to have some time off leash. The park opened in June 2022 and so far, pets approve.
![Off-Leash Agility at Bend's Newest Park ▶ [With Video]](https://media1.bendsource.com/bend/imager/u/original/18689442/alpenglow-1.jpg)
When designing the 37-acre Alpenglow Park in southeast Bend, Bend Park and Recreation District reached out to the community through a public outreach process to find out what Central Oregon wanted from the project.
“Unsurprisingly, a fenced-in dog off-leash area was a high priority for a lot of folks,” said Ian Isaacson, BPRD project manager for Alpenglow Community Park Project.
Isaacson led the project planning and designed the dog park, splitting it into two sections—3.4 acres for the larger dog area and .5 acre for the small dog area. Some of the feedback from the public suggested looking into installing an agility course. BPRD wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to provide that experience and equipment for dogs and their owners, Isaacson told Central Oregon Pets.
At Alpenglow, pets and owners can utilize hoop jumps, dog walks, doggie crawl tunnels, stepping paws and more. The agility equipment came from BarkPark, a company that makes durable dog park obstacles.
In the large dog area, the space has a variety of features—an open dirt and grass area for fetching, a lengthy agility course for training, trees for sniffing and picnic tables for owners. Small dogs can also weave through poles and run through tunnels with its smaller-scale agility obstacles. The .5-acre area is designated for dogs less than 15 inches at the shoulder and under 25 pounds.
“The public does play a major role in shaping how our parks are designed, and the agility course is the perfect example of that,” Isaacson said. “That wasn’t on our radar until it was brought up during the public outreach process.”
BPRD dog parks are the only public spaces within the city limits where dogs can be off leash legally, according to Isaacson.
In addition to the off-leash dog park, Alpenglow offers an open lawn area, bouldering area, seasonal spray ground, event pavilion, public picnic tables, accessible trails, a children’s playground and multi-use pathways.
