A petition with more than 300 signatures is asking Oakland County to keep Orion Oaks Dog Park looking and feeling the way it always has, even as county officials weigh a list of possible upgrades that includes paved parking, permanent pavilions and a dog wash station. The 24-acre park in Lake Orion, known for its multiple dog runs and wooded trails, is considered one of the busiest dog parks in Michigan, and the prospect of change has stirred up strong feelings among its regulars.
The petition, posted on Change.org, urges the county to preserve the park's rustic character, according to ClickOnDetroit. It was started by Diane Myers, who has visited Orion Oaks for 20 years and said she launched the petition after learning about potential renovation ideas. Myers said she noticed trees being tagged and a dividing fence in Pen A removed, and she told the outlet the signatures confirmed that people wanted the park to remain as it is.
What's Actually on the Table
Oakland County Parks says the possible upgrades include a paved parking lot to replace the current gravel one, fence replacements, permanent pavilions in place of temporary tents, accessible pathways, additional water fill stations and a potential dog wash station. The proposed improvements are part of the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Master Plan, with funding tied to an Oakland County Parks millage. County officials emphasize that no plans for Orion Oaks Dog Park are final and that public input is still ongoing.
Two ideas that had worried some park users are no longer part of the conversation. A single-entrance design, which raised concerns about dogs being forced into close quarters, has dropped off the list after community feedback. A proposed stream water feature was also dropped, partly over water-quality concerns, though the report notes another form of water play could still be possible.
A Park Supervisor's Perspective
Jeremy Brown, park supervisor for Independence Oaks and Orion Oaks who has worked with the parks for 17 seasons, uses Orion Oaks himself with his four dogs. He said the park is a natural area and that officials want to keep it that way, while also saying the park should work for the public and their pets. Brown said public feedback has generally been positive as people come to understand the goals behind the proposed changes, and he confirmed that while the stream proposal is out, another form of water play may still be on the table.
The feedback process has been lengthy. Oakland County Parks has spent three years gathering input from nearly 800 people, including three rounds of community engagement that have featured in-person meetings, on-site conversations between staff and park users, and an online survey. The county says it is seeking additional public input before any plans move forward.
Longtime Visitors Split on Specifics
Not every regular objects to every idea. Johanna Barker, who has visited Orion Oaks for 22 years, said she supports some of the proposed changes while opposing others, specifically objecting to changing fence lines, removing the fence by the pines, and the now-abandoned single-entrance design. Barker said park officials need to communicate more with users and said she hopes officials will listen to park users and reach a compromise.
Myers, for her part, said she did not intend to create chaos with the petition. She described the park's rustic charm and natural beauty as the reason visitors love it, warning that the park would lose its special character if it became like every other park.
Context From a Rougher Year
The push to preserve Orion Oaks' wild feel comes after a tougher stretch for the park's water amenities. In April 2025, the dog dock and beach at Orion Oaks County Park closed permanently because of consistently unsafe E. coli levels in the water, as MLive reported at the time. That closure was part of what prompted county officials to begin looking at potential improvements, including a water feature, during Orion Oaks master planning efforts for 2026.
For now, the fate of pavilions, paved lots and fences at Orion Oaks remains undecided. Oakland County Parks has reiterated that nothing has been finalized and that it wants to hear from the public before any plans move forward, leaving Myers, Barker and hundreds of petition signers watching closely for what comes next.
