Oakridge Dog Park

When I read over my last review, I realized that I was not really explaining what is about the dog park that is so fabulous. As previously stated– there are some minor issues– but issues are character builders aren’t they? When I first moved to this area, I immediately noticed that there was a dog park! Where I used to live on the beach, there was a «park» that consisted of a parking lot and a sidewalk, that I could walk my dog to outside the building that I lived in. It was not the best situation, and instead of always going down the 20 flights and dealing with nosy neighbors, my wife opted for pads. Disgusting you say? Yes, of course it is. But you have to work with what you’ve got, and I dealt with it.
Of course moving to a house with a backyard certainly was a major bonus– but this dog park being so close was just icing on the cake! While I knew that it was there, it was the Unilocal Check-​ins that got me to get out and go there! I really wanted the Unilocal check-​in award for dog parks, and so– I packed up both doggies (and the wife) and headed on over.
The park is very spacious and has amenities– doggy water fountains high and low for smaller and bigger dogs. My dogs were not interested I think because it made too much noise– who knows. There is even a hose to wash your dog off after a messy roll in the mud. There are limited benches, and between 5 pm and sundown they get filled up pretty quick– so you might end up standing around for a bit waiting.
The dog owners are very friendly and welcoming to newcomers. They are equally as friendly to other owners as they are to their pets. Some of them know each other just from the dog park, and meet up weekly or even daily. The dogs are all very well behaved. If you aren’t pleased with the closed in park, you can take your dog on a long walk around the large park behind. The walk is very pleasant and scenic. There are historic signs that tell you about how it used to be a Native American settlement and a bit about the people that lived there once– which is always interesting and I think adds a lot to the experience.

When I lived in NYC I lived within walking distance to a dog park and went almost every day. The park didn’t have grass. There wasn’t a doggy water fountain. The people who went were not so friendly. This is why I have held off going so long. Thankfully none of this is the case at Oakridge Dog Park. There are two sections of the park. One is completely gated in with a water fountain and there is also a hose and place to wash dogs down. This smaller area is all grass and there are a few benches for people to sit on. There is also a stand with a trash bag dispenser and garbage can. The bigger area has a walkway and a lake. People were playing with frisbees in this area.
Just waiting to park we waved at a neighbor. When we got out of the car someone who got there at the same time started a conversation about the park and our dogs were playing as soon as we got though the gates. All the dogs were friendly and well behaved and their owners were too!