Stuyvesant Square Dog Park

We stumbled upon this park after we left BaoHaus to eat our Baos. We had no idea it was a dog park until we left. No dogs in sight. Just people working out and enjoying the shade. If I had a dog I’m not quite sure this would be the place I would pick. Where’s the grass? Water fountain? Poo bags? None of that is located here.

Decent dog run if you like no grass.
Things it has going for it:
— Plenty of seating
— Plenty of shade
— Pretty big for Manhattan dog run standards
— Good double gate entry
Things it has going against it:
— No water source in dog run
— No separate large and small dog runs
— In most runs that have asphalt ground cover it can get hot but I think the shade takes care of that for the most part.
— Perimeter fencing is panel fencing with t-​posts
— No poop bags provided but there are some plastic shopping bags
— Limited on-​street parking
— Area only available at certain times
Add a dedicated dog drinking fountain, poop bags and a small dog run and this is a 4 star dog run.
Dog runs/​parks I have been to so far:

This is my favorite dog run because it’s pavement and cobblestone. It’s large and spacious and I can find a seat to relax. Other dog runs that are dirt or gravel smell, especially in the summer, and my dog always leaves those parks dirty and with the stench on him. Not when we go to this dog run.
The run is located on the eastern half of Stuyvesant Square, not in Stuy Town which is a nearby, giant apartment complex. I don’t know what the official hours are for the run these days, but it seems like it’s become a permanent dog run instead of just limited times of the day.
There are people who are a**holes and rude and these are just a select few of old, crabby people who think they own the run. But every run has those people or some incident. You just learn to avoid them (they usually sit on the left side of the run). There are also some very nice people as well and that’s more important.
It is a dog run so you’ll find poop that wasn’t cleaned up, flies, and still a smell. But it’s better and cleaner than other runs. And there’s a water fountain outside the run but still inside the park. It’s just to the right of the dog run entrance and has a doggy level fountain with a bowl that lifts for emptying.

Stuy-​town has won my heart over for «favorite dog park.»
It’s always clean and I find that the owners and pups are the happiest here. I love that the park is concrete, leaving it unfazed by New York weather.
The park itself is large enough to fit the regular morning crowd without negotiating my dog’s room to play.
Any morning that I can make the trek here, I know that my dog will appreciate it.

This dog park is pretty large — about 10 times larger than the Union Square dog run. It is a large square with benches lining the perimeter. You definitely will be able to find a clean bench here to pop-​a-​squat. Avoid the benches near the entrances (where the trash cans are) or you will be eaten by flies.
There is no grass and no dirt in this park, only cobble stone and pavement, but the dogs really don’t seem to mind. My dogs actually prefer to walk on pavement over grass when given the choice, so I think they really like it here.
There is no water fountain or hose inside the park here, so you don’t have to worry about the big dogs making a sloppy wet mess or peeing in it. On the other hand, you need to make sure you bring some agua for your pups on a hot summers day, or you can exit the park and have them drink from the dog-​level drinking fountain.

I LOVE THIS DOG RUN!!!
I used to take my dog to the Madison Square park dog run, until I found this place! :) What I really like about this place the most is the cobble stone ground… :) The MSP one is a gravel ground, which stirs up alot of dust and you need to give your dog a full bath every single time you take him/​her out. But! This one is cobble ground that you only need to wash the paws… XD
The variety of dogs is good; good number of big and small dogs. My dog always has fun with other ones. :)
I took down 1 star for the following reasons;
— no disposable plastic bags; you just need to bring urs
— no water fountain for dogs
Other than this, I love this place! And my dog does too! :)

This is a great dog park for the Union Square/​East Village area. There’s usually at least a couple other dogs for company and plenty of room for the dogs to run free. There are occasionally irresponsible dog owners who come in the side gate, so you do need to be somewhat aware of your dog’s location. The park has always been open when I come by, although I believe they do have «official» hours as listed in another post.

Fireflies at night are amazing. And its next to Beth Isreal.

One of the better dog runs in the city. That said, these gates are never locked and I have seen many stupid people open one of the side gates despite large signs that say «DO NOT ENTER/​EXIT». Which means all the dogs run out! Sadly, I know dogs that have run away and were (luckily) found miles away with only minor injuries after running out one of these side gates. There is also no water available for the dogs! It really is one of the friendliest dog runs in the city, but there are just too many potential accents that prevent me from returning often.
(And please, people. NO PRONG, CHOKE CHAINS, OR UNFIXED DOGS!)

I visited here again yesterday after not coming here for quite a while due to irresponsible dog owners. I hadn’t come here in close to a year because my dog was attacked by a golden retriever that didn’t like the fact that my dog was going after his ball (hello dog owners; balls should not be brought into the dog run for this exact reason. Also, if you want an area to play ball with your dog, go buy a house in the suburbs or get a yard in one of the outer boroughs. or better yet, get a better, higher paying job where you can afford a private area to play ball with your canine). So when my dog defended himself, the owner flipped out on me and we ended up getting into a screaming match. Apparently it’s my fault that my dog was attracted to a ball and it was perfectly acceptable behavior for his dog to violently attack my dog for going near his property. Also, I don’t appreciate being talked down to by middle aged men because I am a young female. I can control my animal, please grow a set and learn to discipline yours. This same dog also lunged at my bulldog while walking down the street weeks later.
So, let’s fast forward to yesterday. My jolly English bulldog was running around and having fun, not bothering anyone, when this yellow lab comes along and starts to try to mount him (for the record, my dog is neutered). My dog obviously got annoyed and snapped at him basically giving him the animal signal of «get the f*ck off me.» The dog owner had zero control over his dog and just said «no» to his dog. Seriously sir? Your dog is continuously trying to mount my dog who is shorter (but stronger) than your dog. The least you could do is REMOVE him from my dog’s back and the best you could do is learn how to have your dog obey your commands. I didn’t think it was my place to take his dog and rip him off my bully’s back, so I let nature take it’s course, which resulted in my dog going nuts after the fourth attempted humping. If you cannot control your dog, do not bring him/​her to the park. Not to mention when I decided to remove my dog from the park because this moronic owner clearly didn’t think he should leave, the same dog was trying to mount another dog that ended up getting pissed off and snapping at him also.
I’ve also dealt with negligent owners who come to the park to read the paper or just have their head in their ass in general, not paying attention to their dog and what it is doing. I understand you come here so that your dog can get out some excess energy, but it our RESPONSILITY as owners to watch our animals and make sure they are behaving. I shouldn’t have to chase down your dog because he decided to steal my dog’s water dish that I brought for him because he’s prone to over-​heating. If my dog steals your dog’s ball (which like I said, balls should not be allowed) then I will get it back for you. Maybe I’m just ultra aware because I do have a dog that is bigger and stronger than other dogs (he is a gentle mush, but when provoked he is very strong and will defend himself) and I watch him to make sure he isn’t playing too rough with non-​bulldogs (because bully’s play very rough with each other) because I don’t want to be held responsible for anything happening to their dog. I think if as owners we all took more responsibility for our dog’s actions that there would be less issues in this dog run. In a nut shell, the owners in this park are predominantly poor dog owners.

This run has a great vibe; whereas Tompkins Square is known for the fights that break out and often result in injured dogs and frazzled owners, Stuyvesant Square’s dogs all seem to get along. It’s spacious and mellow and located in the shadow of Beth Israel’s Bernstein Psychiatric pavilion.
It’s not a «real» dog run, but a section of the park that’s cordoned off for several hours every morning and again every evening. It’s been going for several years, and now that people in Stuyvesant Town are allowed to have dogs, you can expect it to get more traffic.

I like this park a lot. My dog comes home cleaner than he does from the gravel (or whatever that material is?) that the other local parks have. It’s spacious, shady, and less frenetic. Too bad it’s not open all day.

Official Hours:
Mon — Fri 7am to 10am and 6pm to 11pm
Sat — Sun 7am to 11pm
We have extended the hours on the weekends.

I’m a fan of the location, the fact that it is one of the larger dog parks with plenty of room to romp minus the gravel other places seem to sport, loads of benches for the puppy parents and beautiful trees that provide much needed relief in summer (and a pretty view!) That said, there is no provision of water bowls and if your pooch wants fresh water, you have to take them outside the gated bit to a water fountain. There also aren’t pooper scoopers (never thought I’d use that in a Unilocal review) like other dog parks provide — which can be a pretty big downer after you’ve run out of baggies and the other puppy parents look at you with judgment in their eyes as you use a really big leaf (not that that happened to me)

Official Hours:
Mon — Fri 7am to 10am and 6pm to 11pm
Sat — Sun Holidays 7am — 11 pm
All other times dogs must be leashed or owners are subject to fines.

Stuyvesant Park Dog Run is only open in the morning and in the evening. Volunteers gate off a section of the park for dogs to run around on. The surface is all pavers, and cobble stones. This is a good example of making due with what you’ve got.