Houston dogs and the humans attached to them can now run free in the popular Johnny Steele Dog Park, which is nestled along Allen Parkway and has been closed due to the ravages of Hurricane Harvey. (Rising waters from Buffalo Bayou drained into the park, forcing the closure.)
The newly opened Johnny Steele Dog Park — named in honor of Johnny Steele, a Houston landscape architect — comes with plenty to wag a tail at, including enhanced greenspace and water features. “Changes to the dog park will enhance the site’s overall functionality for dogs and their owners as well as the Buffalo Bayou Park maintenance team,” Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, tells CultureMap.
Olson also addressed a pressing local concern, given last year’s storm damage. “This area will experience high water from time to time, but the design modifications should improve ongoing maintenance and operations,” she notes.
Here are some new amenities that pups and owners can expect:
- A new, separate entry portal for small dogs.
- Reconfigured fencing around the small dog area.
- Expanded small dog area lawn and large dog area mulched lawn.
- Eliminated separate ponds for large and small dogs and created one pond, with water feature, for all dogs.
- New retaining wall with seating ledge around the pond.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership staff adds that they are in talks with AIG to grant surface parking at Allen Parkway and Montrose to dog park users after hours and on weekends.
The Johnny Steele Dog Park is a beloved Buffalo Bayou fixture.
