The park had gone to the dogs. Both literally and figuratively. The Big Dry Creek dog park located at 128th Avenue between Federal Parkway and Huron Street had seen better days. It had dead and dying grass, areas with poor drainage where water collected, and other areas of disrepair. Enter Dingo Diner and its partnership with the City of Westminster.

“The park regularly has about 300-400 people visit on the weekends with their dogs and we saw that it was in need of some TLC,” said Dingo Diner Owner and President Cashe Pawlik. “I had already been coordinating volunteer events every quarter to come clean up the park, so I contacted the city to talk about a possible renovation collaboration.”

Dingo Diner is a family-owned and operated pet supply and dog groomer business located near Federal Blvd and 120th Ave.

“Partnering with a private company to help renovate and maintain the park was the first of its kind for the city,” said Open Space Foreman Matt Moritz. “We worked together to plan the park’s renovation.”

Over five days this summer, city staff removed the weeds and grass, corrected grading issues to fix drainage problems, reset benches, repaired fences and spread out 900 tons of crusher fine, a pulverized granite.

“The crusher fine is better in a dog park because dog pee is highly acidic and kills grass when present in large quantities, like a dog park,” said Moritz. “Plus it’s easier to see dog poo on this material.”

Dingo Diner staff polled park visitors on what they wanted at the dog park, which resulted in a wheelchair accessible porta potty installed near the park entrance.

“Since our business is close by we feel like we’re a conduit for the public to learn about the park, so we feel a sense of responsibility to dog owners who bring their furry friends there to run around,” said Pawlik.

After the renovations, dog park patrons were very happy with the results and excited to bring their pups to the park.

Looking forward, Dingo Diner and the city hope to install a community message board, new signage, and shaded benches, in addition to the existing shaded shelter.

“The city wants to engage with dog owners who visit Big Dry Creek dog park,” said Mortiz. “If the humans and their four-legged friends are happy, we’re happy.”