Dog Parks

The weather was so nice this weekend that we spent a fair amount of time on both Saturday and Sunday at the dog park.

There are 2 within 15 minutes of my house so on Saturday, we went to one near the home of one of my co-worker's with the intent of letting our dogs meet and play together. Since I had never been to a dog park before, this seemed like a nice plan. Once we got there however, I realized I was clearly mistaken. Her dog, Daisy (a Bull Mastiff) and Bailey headed for opposite sides of the park to play with other dogs. So much for that idea :-)

Overall I was pleased with the place. The ground was mostly covered with wood chips so avoiding mud was manageable for the human visitors. The lake was blocked off for the winter for obvious safety concerns and the whole place was shaded by large trees and general wooded areas. There was a water fountain for the dogs and their people and Bailey had a great time. I was a bit confused about some of the etiquette, however. Although they provided trash cans and what appeared to be a dispenser for baggies, I saw no one picking up after their dogs. I noticed areas where there seemed to be more droppings than others but for the most part you really had to watch where you walked.

On Sunday we checked out the one a bit closer to our house with the intention of wearing Bailey out a bit before her class so she wouldn't be too wound up to pay attention (which has happened in the past). It was much more open with the only trees being the random stick figures scattered around the field and the nicely manicured evergreens in the corners of the fenced in area. There was a nice asphalt trail that circled the whole park so mud was not an issue for the humans who chose to remain on the path. They provided baggies and everyone seemed to pick up after their dogs.

Both parks had nice water fountains and benches for the humans to sit on and/or the dogs to lay under. Both had areas for the humans to walk without trudging through mud. And both had owners with varying definitions of "supervised". Neither park jumped out at me as better or worse for the dogs and they are both within 15 minutes of our home. I liked them both but they each had their own pros and cons.

So I pose this question to you: What do you look for in a dog park? Is it a big open field or a wooded area with plenty of shade? Do you prefer a trail or would a scattering of wood chips suffice? Do you care if owners pick up after their pooches or do you feel it's a dog's place where the owners can relax so we just need to watch our step?