Your ideal dog park

[Zoom]

I miss the park I used to go to in Kansas City. It was 80-ish acres, fenced in, a dog beach with a massive lake on one end and wooded walking trails around the perimeter, with awesome open fields in the middle. Only thing that would have made it better was if it was bigger and had more varied trails/rocks to climb on.

[sillysally]

I definitely think that the more space and water the better!

[Kilter]

The ones in Calgary are nice, they are for the most part HUGE. None are separated into big dog/small dogs at all though.

I would prefer a 'tossing balls endlessly' lane and a 'no tossing balls/toys' in the rest of the park, as my guys go insane for fetch and so we generally don't go to the off leash parks because I'd rather they go sniff and move naturally and not pound themselves down going after balls. And a few times I've had to chase after them because the person tossing is not thinking it'd be considerate to stop and let me collect my goobers and carries on further down the trail (I think the one park is around 150 acres). Some running water that's shallow in some areas and swimming in others would be a good feature along with perhaps a dock.

And I'd be FOR having a screening. It could be as informal as a set time for a 'tour' and going over the rules of the park with everyone then having them practice how to enter the park with their dogs, rules like leash your dog to get into the park and so on, as well as picking up etc..

If you had a card system to track who was there at what times, it wouldn't be hard to figure out offenders since most people have cameras on their phones and can snap a picture to report issues instantly.


There's actually a study going on right now on poop in dog parks and what parasites are being shared...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...929/story.html

[Kat09Tails]

My favorite dog park already exists.
Several acre single owner at a time use play areas with 8 foot diamond mesh fences with tight corners for the little dogs.
Lots of trees
Very clean
wading pools
Free

[meepitsmeagan]

Originally Posted by sillysally

Actually I think if it's a private dog park screening is a good idea. I am so over dealing with dogs that should never in a million years see the inside of a dog park, and owners who think it's no big deal to allow their dog to bully, harass, and resource guard 'til the cows come home. If I am going to pay a decent fee for a private park then behavior screenings is one of the things I'd expect honestly.

We do have one in the town that I work in that is private and does screenings, and if it were closer to where I lived I would be a member.

Agreed. I am so freakin' sick of Harlow getting attacked by dogs that should not be at the dog park anyways. My ears actually perked up when I read "screening" because I don't go to public dog parks anymore. I got sick of owners not paying attention and not doing anything while their dog was attacking mine and I'm running to get in between them.

I also think a huge hiking/wooded area would be awesome as well as the Agility equipment.

[chaospony]

So many great ideas here! Our dog park is a big flat field in the middle of a bigger field
I second the water feature, agility equipment, trails/hiking area. Small dog area would be great (we are supposed to get one of those in another 2 years!)
I love the idea of screening. Too many dogs that just are not dog park material!
I will add a bulletin bord for notices would be handy. Lost dogs, puppy playdates, home made cookies for sale, or even to post a note for someone you keep missing.
Geeze now I am more dissatisfied with my park! There are a few cool parks near by but my girls hate the car

Originally Posted by sillysally

Actually I think if it's a private dog park screening is a good idea. I am so over dealing with dogs that should never in a million years see the inside of a dog park, and owners who think it's no big deal to allow their dog to bully, harass, and resource guard 'til the cows come home. If I am going to pay a decent fee for a private park then behavior screenings is one of the things I'd expect honestly.

We do have one in the town that I work in that is private and does screenings, and if it were closer to where I lived I would be a member.

I agree with this idea or at least some way to report offenders. The park we go to has two different sides, we'll stand away from the gates and listen for awhile. If certain names get called, we know where we're NOT going.

You know something else that would be a great idea with a dog play area? Having an inside playground. I've seen them in Texas. A great big open space that even has a people snack bar and doggie boutique.

During snowy months or heat or rainy days I'd gladly pay admission for a place for me and Pookins to spend the afternoon together. Air conditioned in the summer and warm in the winter and open year round would be terrific.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Linds

A forest preserve/large wooded area with lakes/ponds. That's the only kind of dog park I'll go to, so that's my ideal! I like to be able to go for a hike with my dogs, not a fan of any of the smaller fenced in ones.

This is my ideal place as well...as long as the ponds are relatively clean.