DENVER -- A Denver dog park is no longer open after several months of passive warning to those who used the park, according to Parks and Recreation officials.
Staff had received multiple complaints about the condition of the Railyard Dog Park park several months ago, prompting city employees to flag the park as "in need of attention" from dog owners.
The City of Denver has an agreement with dog owners to keep parks open so long as owners keep the parks cleaned up.
After months of being flagged for dog owners to clean it up, the park has been locked up until volunteers can improve the condition of the park.
At the heart of the issue is the abundant growth of "puncturevine" which leads to goathead thorns. As city officials attempted to clean up the paw-pad damaging thorns and weeds, they say they were stopped up by excessive levels of dog waste.
Due to the condition of the park, officials will wait for volunteers to put in the work to restore the park to its former glory before reopening it to the public.
A park ranger or supervisor will need to inspect the park before it can reopen.