The City and County of Honolulu’s newest off-leash dog park opened in Chinatown on Monday.
The new park has two entrances, one for large dogs and one for small dogs, and is located at Aala Park.
With so many pet-friendly buildings nearby, dog owners were thrilled to have the park open so close to home.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell held a ceremony Monday at the city’s fifth off-leashed dog park.
“[This park] is about people who live in this area and all the buildings around here and the people who have puppies like this,” Mayor Caldwell said while petting a dog.
One woman lives a block away and says there’s about 200 dogs that live in her apartment building.
She said she feels better having the dogs off of the street and sidewalk.
“There’s a lot of street snacks the dogs love to eat,” said Chinatown resident Kelly Kerins.
One of her dogs ingested something he wasn’t supposed to and got very sick.
“My little one just got out of the hospital today, so this is the perfect solution— it’s going to keep all the dogs safe and happy and let them socialize,” she said.
Some dog owners say they would drive five miles and sit in traffic to take their dog to the park. Others would risk being fined.
“I’ve been using the human park nearby taking my chances that we wouldn’t pay a fine or anything like that,” said Chinatown resident Janie Bresee.
And she said she feels safe using the park too.
“I do feel safe, I mean there’s park security and local police so I’m confident we’ll have a good time here,” she said.
