Reading dog park closes for upgrades, new agility ramps and grass repairs

Caramel’s Dog Park at Schlegel Park shut down April 8 for a short construction pause, with the City of Reading scheduling the park to reopen April 14 after crews install new dog agility ramps and repair the grass.

The upgrade is more than a routine touch-up. The city said the ramps need concrete pads so the equipment will be safe and durable once dogs are back on the field, and the work is being handled by the Reading Public Works Department in partnership with the Reading Conservation Corps. For owners of fast, powerful, or easily overstimulated dogs, that matters: agility features turn a fenced play area into a more structured outlet for hard running, climbing, and controlled movement.

This is the second recent closure at the park. In February, Reading temporarily closed Caramel’s Dog Park for lighting installation, saying that project was expected to wrap by February 18, weather permitting. The city said the lights were intended to improve visibility, safety, and energy efficiency, adding another layer of usability to a park that is still being built out in stages.

Caramel’s Dog Park is Reading’s first official dog park, and it opened in 2025 at Schlegel Park. The site is named for Caramel, Mayor Eddie Morán’s rescue dog and the city’s first officially recognized dog. Caramel was rescued in 2009 from an illegal puppy mill through the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Pennsylvania, a backstory that has given the park a local identity well beyond a standard recreation project.

Council records from spring 2025 show how the park took shape on the footprint of the old Schlegel Park tennis courts. The project replaced the courts with fencing, topsoil, grass, dog park obstacles, and a walking path connecting the dog park to the upper pavilion. City staff said the former court area was chosen partly because it sits next to Matos Towing and was not considered attractive for other park uses. Schlegel Park itself spans 24.34 acres, giving the dog park room to function as a dedicated space inside a larger city park.

When the park first opened, Councilor Campos said the turnout of people and dogs was excellent and pointed to future planned improvements. The new April work follows through on that promise, shifting Caramel’s Dog Park farther from a basic enclosure and closer to a purpose-built exercise space for Reading’s most active dogs.