SEATTLE - What good is an off-leash dog park if you can't get to it?

West Seattle dog owners were worried that people with disabilities couldn't enjoy the Westcrest Dog Park.

So volunteers got together this week and made improvements - so everyone could come out.

Among those who are thankful for the change is Lisa Kassens and her pup Angie. They appreciate West Seattle's off-leash dog park, but Lisa just couldn't always make the hike.

"It's a very long trek,." she says. "And for myself, I've just been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. It's very hard."

Up until now, the only way to get to the doggie play area at Westcrest Park was over the gravel, up a hill and around a corner. Now there's a play area right at the entrance.

Steve McElhenney paved the way for a more accessible dog park. First he got the Parks Department's approval to clear the area right near the park entrance. Then he got all the materials donated. And next he signed up all the volunteers.

"We used to have more wheelchaired folks to bring their dogs up, and they just kind of disappeared," he says. Now they can come back.

A private tree farm donated plenty of bark to lay down at the new play area. Before it was just covered in blackberry vines.

"It's really cool," Steve says. "Now people with special needs will have easy access to the park and be able to get out. It's a great social place. I've met a lot of people here so it's just inviting more people to come."

"It's very important," agrees Lisa. "It's especially important to me right now because I am unable to work. To be able to get out here get a little exercise and bring my dog and be able to do so safely and easily."