About 100 residents, mainly living in Port Chalmers, Sawyers Bay and Roseneath, have banded together to demonstrate the need for a new facility.
And they have even offered to build it - and pay for it - themselves, if the council can find a suitable piece of land.
Group spokeswoman Julie Fawcett said the need for a West Harbour dog park had been discussed on and off for years, and was on the West Harbour Community Board's "action list".
At present, there were nearly 1000 dogs registered in the West Harbour area, but no dedicated facilities for them, she said.
Owners could walk their pets in public, including around Back Beach, but many owners felt safer exercising their pets in a securely fenced area, she said.
Public walks did not always work well for younger dogs, "or for dogs who like chasing wildlife", she said.
"Allowing dogs to run off a lead is more natural for the dog, and allows for greater socialisation of the dogs.
"There are very few other open and fenced areas in West Harbour that are suitable for walking dogs off a lead," she said.
A dedicated dog park would include facilities for owners and animals alike - including seating, shelters and obstacles - and was expected to cost up to $40,000 to develop, she said.
It would also include a dedicated area for small dogs and a larger fenced open dog area, where both smaller and larger dogs could mix, she said.
The group was offering to pay for the development of the facility, and then give it to the council, if the council could find a suitable piece of land for it.
The proposal was backed by Mark Cameron, the owner and managing director of Action Engineering and a Port Chalmers resident, who has committed to help finance and build the facility, if it went ahead.
Council city services general manager Sandy Graham said a West Harbour dog park was not in the council's annual plan, and nor was the council actively searching for a site.
Instead, it had discussed the project with group members and given them a map of council-owned land in the area, she said.
Before such a project could be considered, the council would have to assess the need for an additional dog park in the city and, if there was demand, where best to locate it.
The project would then need to be considered as part of the council's annual plan process, she said.
