The dog park at Fishers Community Center opens to members Monday, but anyone hoping to walk in and sign up is already out of luck. Memberships for the nearly two-acre space have sold out, and the city is now directing interested residents to a waitlist for future openings.
According to LarryInFishers, the park will operate year-round and includes water stations, shaded areas, and a separate section for small dogs weighing less than 35 pounds, according to a city news release. A six-month membership costs $72, and the city plans to offer new memberships for purchase twice a year. Dog park memberships are separate from general Fishers Community Center memberships, which cover the fitness center, aquatics facility and gymnasiums, per the same report.
Sod and Drainage Work Delayed the Debut
The sellout isn't a total surprise. As Current in Fishers reported over the summer, membership had already sold out months before the park's doors opened. At the time, the city said it expected an opening this fall once new sod and a drainage system were installed. The Board of Public Works and Safety voted June 23 to hire Kelly Landscaping LLC for a roughly $160,000 contract covering about 92,000 square feet of sod work in the dog-park field, the outlet reported.
That construction timeline lines up with the broader community center's own history. The 105,000-square-foot facility opened Nov. 1, 2025, after about a year and a half of construction, and will mark its first anniversary Nov. 1, per LarryInFishers. The center also houses an indoor playground, a running track, a gym, a child care center, meeting space, a fitness center and an aquatics facility, according to the same Current in Fishers sneak-preview report from last fall.
A Top Resident Request Since 2021
City leaders say the dog park wasn't an afterthought. Mayor Scott Fadness said a community dog park has been identified as a top request from residents dating back to a community-wide survey in 2021, per a city news release cited by LarryInFishers. A separate, earlier survey effort tied to the center's groundbreaking found that nearly 3,500 residents weighed in on desired amenities, with a dog park, indoor playground, walking track and aquatics facility among the top picks, according to the City of Fishers.
Residents who missed out on membership this round can still get in line. A waitlist for future dog park membership openings is available on the park's website, LarryInFishers reported.
Grand Opening Set for Oct. 27
A public grand opening celebration is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Oct. 27, even though members will already be using the park by then. The celebration includes brief remarks from Fadness and a ribbon cutting, according to LarryInFishers. The Humane Society for Hamilton County is expected to be on-site, and Speck's Pet Supplies will hand out gift bags to attendees that day.
How Fishers Compares to Carmel's Dog Park
Fishers isn't the first Hamilton County city to see demand outpace space for off-leash dog amenities. Carmel's Central Dog Park, described by Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation as approximately three acres and fully enclosed by a four-foot-high fence, features areas for small and large dogs, green space, benches, shelters, waste stations and a lock-and-key entry system. Carmel Clay Parks states the park currently has 800 four-legged members and that membership is full, with a waitlist open to new applicants.
That figure doesn't match an earlier account from the Indianapolis Star, which reported 684 current member dogs and a waiting list of 651 dogs from 544 households as of Sept. 30, with typical wait times of eight months to a year or longer. Pricing has also shifted over time: the Star reported memberships cost $11 a month, while Carmel Clay Parks' current listing puts membership at $13 a month plus a $60 initial application fee. Carmel holds dog park registration twice a year, in spring and fall, mirroring the twice-yearly schedule Fishers plans to use.
The demand pattern in Carmel traces back to resident surveys, too. A 2018 survey for the city's parks master plan found 24% of Carmel residents said they needed a dog park, and Carmel Clay Parks has said its goal is to develop at least two more dog parks, one east of Keystone Parkway and one west of Meridian Street, per the Star's reporting. That same report noted Fishers had previously said it would consider a dog park on parkland as opportunities arose, while Westfield was still studying the feasibility of its own dog park but lacked the staff to manage one.
Fishers Community Center's dog park memberships come with their own fine print. According to the Fishers Community Center website, dog park memberships cannot be paused, and while a membership may be canceled before the end of its six-month term, cancellation does not result in a refund or credit for the unused portion.
