Maple Grove officially became an off-leash area in 1998 (when the City designated our first Dog Parks) but it has been enjoyed by dog walkers and nature lovers for decades, ever since St. Vital expanded further south. We share the area called Maple Grove with the Mustangs (who are celebrating 70 years here), the Rugby Club (established 1985) and our newest neighbours are the Manitoba Organization of Disc Sports (MODS), who were gifted a portion of our off-leash area in 2005.

Maple Grove is now the second largest dog park in Winnipeg and we have members from all over the City. The designated off-leash area is the interior fields and forest, running along the paths (North of the ditch that runs in front of the parking lot). The off-leash park is a multi-use City of Winnipeg area that is owned by the City of Winnipeg Parks Department and governed by Animal Services’ laws and the riverbanks belong to the Province.

The current Maple Grove Park Dog Owners’ Association (MGPDOA) was formalized and incorporated in 2001 (in response to the City’s plan to give away a 3rd of the park to the MODS). The organization is a group of volunteers who elect a Board (ranges from 5-12 people) to speak for them and through the Adopt a Park program, agree to help keep the park clean.

One of the unique feature of Maple Grove Dog Park is the fully fenced in puppy play pen. Volunteers cleaned up this “pen” that was previously used for equipment storage by the City. It was filled with saplings and burdock and is now a safe place for dogs who are new to the park. Volunteers used to carry the bags of garbage to the front BFI bin. Volunteers hold clean-up days, membership drives and an annual AGM.

MGPDOA has been able to secure grants from the City’s Land Dedication reserve to help make improvements to the park like our parking lot, in-ground garbage bins and now we are in the process of securing the final funds needed to build a fence across the South end of our area!