Public artwork adds color to new dog park

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — “Woof!,” by Arizona-based artist Shachi Kale, is the newest addition to the Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection.

Located at Thompson Peak Dog Park, “Woof!” captures a range of expressions and activities from a variety of dogs, reflecting their joyful nature. The artwork consists of six 5-feet-tall, 18-feet-wide aluminum panels, powder-coated in bright pink, yellow and blue colors. Cut by a water-jet machine at Magnum Companies, Kale’s panel designs allow sunlight to cast canine shadows on the dog park landscape.

The public artwork was one of Kale's earlier large commissions, and since beginning "Woof!" in 2023, she has also created artwork for the cities of Tempe, Chandler and Mesa. Tanya Galin, public art manager for Scottsdale Public Art, a department of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, said it's always exciting to give support and experience to up-and-coming artists.

"It was a joy to work with Shachi and help her out through this process,” Galin said. “She gives every detail the attention it deserves and wanted to make sure she was doing everything right. It was a wonderful experience to pass along all the information I have gained after years of working in public art."

Kale is a visual artist, designer and illustrator, who was born in Mumbai and has made a home in Arizona for 25 years. She works with watercolors, fiber arts, printmaking and digital art but has always wanted to explore new mediums.

While creating "Woof!," Kale wanted to represent various types of dogs. As social animals, dog parks allow them to fulfill their natural instincts to explore, make connections, play, burn off some pent-up energy or just wander at their own pace. Visitors at the dog park can explore the artwork and find big dogs, small dogs, fluffy dogs, goofy dogs and maybe even their dog.

Kale's own dog — a rescue puppy named Wolf, adopted after the passing of her first dog, Buzz — was the inspiration for the artwork title. 

“When I started the project in 2023, I was excited because my dog Buzz loved dog parks and I wanted to take him when this one opened,” Kale said. “After his passing in 2025, we fostered a pair of 7-week-old puppy siblings and ended up ‘foster failing’ with one of them. We call Wolf ‘Woof’ often, and I thought it would be a nice inside secret to title the artwork after him.”

Alongside the dogs, "Woof!" also includes plant life and mountains, inspired by the Scottsdale location. The lines, shapes and patterns are designed to convey joy, movement and whimsy, while the colors were chosen to reflect the joy of pets and owners who visit the dog park.

“A dog park is such a happy, fun, safe space for dogs and their owners,” Kale said. “And dogs come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and personalities, so they use the dog park in different ways. Some want to be social; others want to do their own thing. I wanted to explore the different kinds of dogs and activities that they might partake in at a dog park.”

To learn more about Scottsdale Public Art, visit ScottsdaleArts.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | SydneyR@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4663