The City of Carlsbad celebrated the opening of Poinsettia Dog Park on Wednesday along with other site improvements that will make it easier to enjoy all the amenities at Poinsettia Community Park.

The new dog park is located on a previously undeveloped piece of land just south of the park’s entrance so it’s easy to find and access.

The project was a collaboration between the city and the Carlsbad community, which had requested an off-leash dog park as part of the planning process for Poinsettia Community Park. The community also worked with the city to make sure the dog park was built in an area of the park that the community wanted.   

• The 27,700-square-foot off-leash dog park is the third dog park in the city.
• Poinsettia Dog Park is the first with a natural grass surface (the other two have wood chips), which was installed based on community input.
• It has a 20,000-square-feet fenced area for large dogs and a 7,700-square-feet fenced area for small dogs.
• Each section has agility equipment, drinking fountains, bag dispensers and picnic tables.
• Additional shaded picnic tables are located outside the dog park’s two sets of double-entry gates.
• A new parking lot with 37 spaces, including four EV charging stations, has been built just south of the pickleball courts.
• A new restroom building is situated at the northwest corner of the parking lot.

The city commemorated the opening of the dog park at a ribbon-cutting event held Wednesday. The park is open daily between 8 a.m. and sunset for four-legged community members and their owners to enjoy.

Background
Off-leash dog parks were ranked a high priority in Carlsbad’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan, which the city created based on input from the community on how to best meet its parks and recreation needs. The city is now in the process of updating the plan, which will spell out the City of Carlsbad’s top Parks & Recreation priorities for the next five years.  

Staff had originally planned to put Poinsettia Dog Park in the western portion of Poinsettia Community Park. When the community expressed concern with the proposed location, city staff requested input on another possible location on the park property.  The community overwhelmingly supported a dog park just south of the main entrance from Hidden Valley Road.

In February 2018 the City Council approved staff's recommendation to pursue plans to place the dog park at the alternate location. In July 2021, the Carlsbad City Council approved construction contracts for the new dog park to be built at the alternate location on the east side of Poinsettia Community Park. The appropriated cost for the project was $2.8 million, but the final cost will likely be less.