Based on an article for Summit West Living Magazine (January 2025).

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Dogpac is a local, all-volunteer non-profit organization that supports off-leash recreation and responsible dog ownership. Founded in 2008, one of our original goals was to work with Bend Parks and Rec (BPRD) to establish multiple dog parks and off-leash areas around the city. There are now nine city parks that include dog-friendly areas. Another early goal was to create a dog-friendly xc ski and snowshoe area in the Deschutes National Forest (DNF). Wanoga Sno-Park was approved by the Forest Service, and even now offers the only dog-friendly, groomed ski trails in Oregon.

 

Dogpac is run by a rotating group of board members, and is funded by sponsors (businesses and non-profits) and donations from individuals. Membership is free. Our funds support trail grooming operations at Wanoga and the annual production of our free brochure, “Off-Leash Recreation with Your Dog in Central Oregon.” The brochure includes two maps: one of city off-leash areas and another showing places to recreate with off-leash dogs in the DNF. Every year, we update the brochure, print an appropriate number (8000 in 2025) and distribute them to dog-friendly businesses in Bend and surrounding areas. The brochure is particularly useful to Bend newcomers and visitors, and new dog owners.

 

Some folks think that Dogpac’s main function is to pick up poop in the DNF. In fact, we don’t do that at all. What we do is to act as a middleman for poop bag distribution and removal. As a Dogpac sponsor, BPRD provides us with tens of thousands of bags every year. We provide bag dispensers and cans for disposal at three sites in the DNF, the Rimrock Trailhead (aka GoodDog!), Phil’s Trailhead, and Wanoga Sno-Park. We hire another Dogpac sponsor, The Bomb Squad, to empty the cans at Rimrock and Phil’s, and dispose of the contents. Dogpac volunteers move the full bags to a pickup site at Wanoga, and Forest Service personnel dispose of them. Our hands are clean, but the trails are much cleaner for our efforts!

 

Our past activities included free workshops on dog health and training: Special Needs and Care of Senior Dogs, Emergency Care, Reducing Leash Reactivity, and Dealing with Separation Anxiety. The workshops, presented by local vets and trainers, ran for four years, but have been discontinued since 2020, due to Covid. Watch for announcements of new workshops in the not-too-distant future.

 

Dogpac provides a voice for dog owners throughout Central Oregon. When necessary, we get involved in local politics. For example, we opposed BPRD’s proposal to construct a foot/bike bridge across the Deschutes River south of the city. Our rationale was that the bridge would bring more hikers and bikers to the only section of the Deschutes River Trail that is legal for off-leash dogs during the summer months. This section is adjacent to GoodDog! and is popular with dogwalkers who want to let their dogs cool off in the river. An increase in users could cause the Forest Service to institute leash restrictions. The rest of the trail, from the southern end of Meadow Camp to Benham Falls, is already leash-restricted from May 15 to September 15.

 

Legal access to the Deschutes River within Bend city limits is almost non-existent. City ordinance allows off-leash dogs only in designated off-leash sites. While BPRD manages 8 miles of riverside park property, there is not a single site within those parks that allows off-leash dogs to wade or swim. The only current river access is on property adjacent to Riverbend Park, but is privately owned and slated for development. Nevertheless, most of the parks are used illegally by dog owners, desperate to let their dogs enjoy the river without having to drive out of town. Dogpac members spent a year working with a committee organized by BPRD to recommend improvements to riverside parks. Very unfortunately, dog owners were given lowest priority. Only one site was recommended, and that was in the middle of Riverbend Park, which is the most crowded of all sites and has limited parking. Dogpac will continue to fight for legal off-leash river access at multiple sites that are more user-friendly.

 

If you have signed up for these newsletters, you are a Dogpac member. You are probably a dog owner, and love to walk/hike/bike/ski with your best friend(s). We urge you to spread the word. There are many dog lovers in Central Oregon, but only a fraction of those folks knows who we are and what we do. PLEASE tell your friends, acquaintances, and strangers you meet on the trail about Dogpac. Pick up a few of our free 2025 brochures when you buy your next bag of dog food, and hand them out. All Central Oregon dog lovers can join us for free at www.dogpac.org.

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