Potsdam dog park reopens on larger 4-acre site after closure

Kim Clark’s dog Stormi once used the Potsdam Community Dog Park twice a day, every day. That kind of routine had nowhere to go after last summer’s shutdown, but the park was headed back with a real upgrade: a new Lower Pine Street site with at least 4 acres, more than twice the usable space of the old location.

The new parcel sits about a mile from Pine Street Arena and Sandstoner Park, and the bigger footprint should give dogs a much better mix of wooded sections, open fields and varied terrain. For owners of high-energy dogs, the difference is practical, not cosmetic. The old park behind the Potsdam Humane Society at 17 Madrid Ave. was roughly three acres. The new site gives the community room for longer runs, more sniffing space and a layout that can handle heavier daily traffic without feeling cramped.

The original park opened in October 2017 after years of planning and fundraising that began in 2013. That effort depended on five years of constant organizing, 150 to 200 volunteers, and private and corporate donations. It also leaned on donated surveying and design work as the land behind the humane society building was cleared for use. What started as one of Potsdam’s most visible volunteer projects ended at the close of last summer, when the Potsdam Humane Society ended the lease.

The humane society cited fencing issues, debris, dead or hazardous trees, limited supervision for rule enforcement, signage problems, parking-lot behavior and alleged use of its name. Park leaders disputed those concerns and said they were unfounded, turning the shutdown into both a practical loss and a sharp emotional hit for regular users.

The comeback is already being financed. A fall concert fundraiser brought in about $6,000 to help cover legal, construction and relocation costs. That money is going toward deed transfers, preparing the new land, removing trees and underbrush, building a parking area, improving the driveway and eventually adding more fencing. The old fence will be reused where possible, but the larger site means more fencing will still be needed.

The Potsdam Humane Society, founded in 1957, says it serves more than 1,400 cats, dogs and other animals each year and has encouraged pet owners to find other safe recreation areas while remaining open to future pet-friendly programming. The dog park board meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 PM, and the next phase now depends on turning the bigger Lower Pine Street parcel into dependable off-leash ground again.