{"id":978223,"date":"2026-08-03T16:49:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/978223\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:49:26","slug":"botched-overhaul-of-north-side-dog-park-is-leaving-pups-with-bloody-paws-pet-owners-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/978223\/","title":{"rendered":"Botched Overhaul Of North Side Dog Park Is Leaving Pups With Bloody Paws, Pet Owners Say"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROSCOE VILLAGE \u2014 A newly renovated dog area at Hamlin Park that was meant to improve one of the neighborhood\u2019s most popular outdoor spots has instead become the target of mounting criticism, with dog owners saying the redesigned space has left their pets with cut and bloody paws.<\/p>\n

Several neighbors told Block Club their dogs have suffered painful paw injuries after running on the park\u2019s new asphalt-and-gravel surface, while others say they no longer use the dog area because they believe it is unsafe. Before the renovation, the dog area was covered in pea gravel, which neighbors said provided a softer surface that was easier on dogs\u2019 paws.<\/p>\n

Residents have spent the past few weeks pressing the Park District for answers about why the dog run was redesigned the way it was, whether officials were aware of the reported injuries and if changes are planned to address their concerns.<\/p>\n

A Chicago Park District spokesperson said the agency has \u201cbeen made aware of patron concerns\u201d about the dog area and has scheduled a meeting with the Dog Friendly Area Committee \u201cto address the community\u2019s concerns and determine the appropriate next steps in alignment with our guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Chicago Park District, the safety and well-being of our community members and visitors is our absolute highest priority,\u201d spokesperson Irene Tostado said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The project was designed by Park District staff and funded through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as part of a broader park improvement project.<\/p>\n

The previous dog area allowed the gravel to spread onto nearby sidewalks and \u201cdid not provide an accessible or durable circulation route,\u201d Tostado said. The redesigned space was intended to improve accessibility, create a lower-maintenance surface and better manage drainage while keeping pea gravel in designated dog activity areas.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe recently renovated dog area at Hamlin Park has drawn criticism from neighbors who say its new asphalt-and-gravel design has injured dogs. Credit: Patrick Filbin\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Greg Zimmerman, a Roscoe Village resident who has used the Hamlin Park dog area with his two dogs for years, said he expected the lengthy renovation to improve the park.<\/p>\n

Instead, the redesign left many neighbors confused by features like gravel-filled concrete cutouts that scatter rocks across the asphalt and make the space difficult to use, Zimmerman said. He said his dogs now hesitate to enter the park.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dogs want to go there because they\u2019re used to going there,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cWinnie walks in, takes a look around, kind of picks up her paws gingerly and literally wants to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry Kroll, who lives about three blocks from Hamlin Park, 3035 N. Hoyne Ave., said he and his wife have regularly taken their 3-year-old pooch, Charlie, to the dog area since moving to the neighborhood in 2023.<\/p>\n

After the park reopened this spring, Charlie visited a handful of times without incident before returning home one evening with torn, bleeding paw pads on all four feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe noticed there was a big wet spot on the comforter on our bed,\u201d Kroll said. \u201cHe had been licking his paws so much that it created a wet spot on the bed, and that\u2019s when we saw that all four of his paw pads had ripped and were bleeding to some degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kroll said the couple treated the injuries at home after consulting their veterinarian. They no longer plan to use the dog park unless changes are made.<\/p>\n

\"\"The injured paw of 3-year-old Charlie. Credit: Provided\/Harry Kroll<\/p>\n

Another Hamlin Park regular, Jesus Echezarreta, shared a similar experience in an email to Block Club. Echezarreta lives around the corner from the park and visits the dog area daily with his two dogs, including Odie, a recently rescued dog.<\/p>\n

In June, Odie was running near the tennis court fence when she tore the paw pads on one of her back feet while making quick stops and turns on the asphalt. A veterinarian trimmed away the torn paw pads, cleaned the wounds and monitored the injury as Odie healed, according to vet documents provided to Block Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe redesign is really just a mess of a dog park, and residents have complained, knowing that at a bare minimum the asphalt needed to be addressed before injuries happened,\u201d Echezarreta wrote. \u201cLo and behold, here we are with dogs getting hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The recently renovated dog area at Hamlin Park has drawn criticism from neighbors who say its new asphalt-and-gravel design has injured dogs. Credit: Patrick Filbin\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Echezarreta criticized aspects of the redesign, including the use of gravel, which spreads across the park; a single-gate entrance he believes creates safety concerns; and what he described as an underused section of the dog run that was left as bare dirt.<\/p>\n

The Hamlin Park Advisory Council, a volunteer group that raises money for and advises on improvements at the park, said in a statement that it has also heard concerns from neighbors about gravel spreading throughout the dog area and reports of paw injuries that owners believe are tied to the redesigned surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve shared these concerns with the Park District and have been in regular communication with Park District staff,\u201d the council wrote in a statement to Block Club. \u201cWe\u2019ve been told that the curb openings and drainage design were intentional and, at this time, the Park District has not indicated that design modifications are planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an advisory council, the group doesn\u2019t have authority to redesign or maintain the dog park. But after hearing many complaints over the past few weeks, the council organized a volunteer cleanup and installed three brooms at the dog area so visitors can sweep loose gravel back into designated areas between maintenance visits in a bid to protect dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe view these as temporary measures intended to improve conditions while we continue advocating for long-term solutions,\u201d the council wrote.<\/p>\n

\"\"Volunteers with the Hamlin Park Advisory Council installed brooms inside the renovated Hamlin Park dog area as a temporary measure to address gravel spreading across the park. Credit: Patrick Filbin\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Emails reviewed by Block Club show at least one Hamlin Park neighbor alerted the Park District in May about safety concerns with the redesigned dog area after the resident\u2019s dog injured its paw while playing there.<\/p>\n

The resident warned that loose gravel scattered across the asphalt caused dogs to skid when stopping. The resident said they did not receive a response.<\/p>\n

After the issue was discussed at a July 21 Hamlin Park Advisory Council meeting, the same resident again contacted the Park District, saying the concerns remained unresolved and that another dog had suffered deep lacerations despite volunteers placing brooms at the park to sweep gravel back into designated areas.<\/p>\n

As of this week, no response had been received to either email, the resident said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rossi, a 7-year-old Australian shepherd, relaxes in the gravel at Hamlin Park\u2019s recently renovated dog area Thursday afternoon. Credit: Patrick Filbin\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

For Zimmerman, the frustration goes beyond the design.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a great opportunity to make something that wasn\u2019t great better, and instead they made it worse and almost unusable,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone seems to be in agreement that this was just a huge boondoggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kroll said he hopes sharing his pup\u2019s story will prevent other dogs from suffering similar injuries and prompt the Park District to revisit the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do just worry about the dog owners and the dogs in the community who don\u2019t know this is happening,\u201d Kroll said.<\/p>\n

Until something changes, he said, Charlie won\u2019t be returning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t be taking him back there unless something changes,\u201d Kroll said. \u201cWhich is very sad because we love it there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The recently renovated dog area at Hamlin Park has drawn criticism from neighbors who say its new asphalt-and-gravel design has injured dogs. Credit: Patrick Filbin\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROSCOE VILLAGE \u2014 A newly renovated dog area at Hamlin Park that was meant to improve one of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":978224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[3425,960,12633,5386,1818,47501],"class_list":["post-978223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-animals","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-park-district","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-locked"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117032607713142512","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/978223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=978223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/978223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/978224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=978223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=978223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=978223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}