After years of waiting, Seattle is getting two new dog parks. They each cost more than $1 million

Seattle dog owners rejoice: After more than a year conducting studies, holding public hearings, and posting online surveys, Seattle is about to get a pair of new, off-leash dog parks.

Last March, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department announced they would add two new off-leash areas for dogs to play.

With just over a dozen official areas for Seattleites to let their tens of thousands of dogs run free, it’s been clear for a while that the city needs more of these kinds of parks.

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A year has passed since that announcement and the city is nearly ready to open the much anticipated new dog parks.

Over the past 12 months, the parks department studied 30 potential spots around Seattle to add an OLA (off-leash area). They put up a survey for people to give feedback online and attended farmers markets over the summer to talk to them in-person.

Overall, the city says it heard from more than 4,700 people on two possible parks.

Of the original 30 locations considered by the Parks Department, two have been “identified to be suitable for the development” of an off-leash park: West Seattle Stadium and Othello Park.

Ravenna Park was also chosen to be designed but parks officials say they’ll need more funding for construction there.

The city says it will spend $3.46 million to build the two parks and design the third at Ravenna.

Jessica Nalis is one of those 4,700 people who filled out the city’s survey online. Nalis walks her dog, Pablo, to Ravenna Park daily.

"He's pretty good so I don't think he needs fencing,” Nalis said. “But I think fencing, of course, would be great for other people who walk not having a dog, right? Feeling safe, that would be awesome.”

Without a designated spot for dogs to run around off leash at Ravenna, Nalis says there’s an unspoken code of conduct for dog owners at the park.

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If she sees other people letting their dogs off-leash, she’ll go to that area and let Pablo off, keeping clear of people without dogs.

"I also understand some people don't love dogs, right? You cannot assume everybody's happy having dogs running around freely,” she said.

Nalis and other dog owners at Ravenna will have to wait to see if the city gets more money to build the off-leash area there.

As for West Seattle Stadium and Othello Park, the good dogs there also will have to wait a little longer.

At a meeting this week, the Parks Department’s Board of Commissioners heard public comment but did not vote on approving the parks.

A spokesperson for the department says more discussion and a vote is planned at the board's next meeting on Thursday, March 28.