Amarillo Parks Board Moves to Eradicate ‘Sod Poodles’ at John Stiff Memorial Park

Amarillo is a big city, and as construction continues to push further into the rural areas, more wildlife is moving into the city. One of those wildlife creatures is the prairie dog, or as Amarillo affectionately calls them, ‘sod poodles,’ at least since the MiLB named our baseball team. These animals have been in the area for a very long time.

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Prairie Dogs at John Stiff Park: A 20-Year Colony

In fact, a prairie dog colony has lived in John Stiff Park for at least 20 years. If you drive down 45th near the library, you can see hundreds of these little creatures just chilling on top of their mounds.

Read More: Prairie Dogs Are Taking Over Amarillo's John Stiff Park

However, soon you may no longer see these animals at all in the area.

Why Amarillo Parks Board Is Considering Prairie Dog Removal

On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, one of the agenda items at the Amarillo Parks and Recreation Board meeting was the issue of the prairie dogs in John Stiff Park. They discussed the issue and heard from community members. The Parks and Recreation Board ultimately moved to look for ways to eradicate the animals.

Read More: City of Amarillo Responds to Prairie Dog Eradication Backlash

Budget Limits and City Council Approval Explained

Staff were given a $50,000 budget for the eradication. If the budget for eradication goes above $50,000, it will require a City Council vote.

They have tried to relocate the prairie dogs in the past, but it didn't work, so now they are going to work to eradicate them, and that means killing the colony that has created a home and ecosystem underneath John Stiff Park.

While this may sound harsh, there are several reasons cited for removing the animals.

• They are invading and moving into neighborhoods
• Construction on the areas where the prairie dogs live could be more costly due to the tunnels they have created, and will have to be fixed.
• They can carry the plague.

However, while some are happy to hear the City of Amarillo taking action, there are many who are upset that they would get rid of these creatures.

Read More: Where Can I Find Real Prairie Dogs in Amarillo?

Community Reactions: Reddit, Petitions, and Public Debate

According to a local Reddit post, there are plans to create and put out a petition to prevent the eradication from happening.  While some welcome the destruction of the prairie dog colony, others say it is unnecessary.

Biologist here. Prairie dogs are a keystone species and should be left alone.

Let’s eradicate the very mascot of our sports team. 🙄

I sure hope they do not.

There is now a petition to save the John Stiff prairie dogs.

Advocacy Groups Working to Protect Prairie Dogs

There is an organization called the Prairie Dog Coalition, whose mission is to protect prairie dogs.

The Prairie Dog Coalition empowers organizations and individuals by providing conservation tools that protect prairie dogs, restore their ecosystems, and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

They have an online packet available to help those who want to advocate to save the prairie dogs.

What’s Next for John Stiff Park Prairie Dogs?

Will the city move forward?  Will the citizens of Amarillo stop them, or will we see an entire colony of prairie dogs go away? Those critters are resilient, and they tend to repopulate and come back unless the COA finds a permanent way to keep them at bay.

Maybe they should create a prairie dog town as they have done in Lubbock.

It's only a matter of time, but right now Parks and Recreation is on a mission to find a $50,000 solution to what they are calling a prairie dog problem.