Veterans Community Park Rover Run Dog Park

I love this park. My only beef with it is how much it’s changed in the last year which has made it especially difficult to get to the large dog area and is quite the trek. My worry is how difficult it will be for those who are elderly and/​or disabled. They need some better signage as well. The crowd is definitely better than the dog park down south by the mall (they are very snooty). Yes the one down south is prettier, but I like the friendly vibe and regulars that come here.

My dog loves this park.

My family and I stopped yesterday at the Rover Run Dog Park. This was the first time in over three years that I had been back, it seemed to be a waste of time the first few visits because of the poor environment. We wanted to offer our dog a change of environment so we decided to stop and see if it had been updated. This time it had definitely changed for the better. We were first very pleased with the locks on the gates. Our son is 2 and VERY curious about the gates. While we’re always watching him it’s nice peace of mind that the gate is «young child» proof. When we arrived their were only about three dogs playing, after about thirty minutes their was a good amount of dogs filling the park. All the owners were socializing and the dogs were playing nice together. There are plenty of trees for shade and picnic tables under an over hang to sit. They have a small above ground kiddie pool for your dog which you can fill from the hose if your dog enjoys the water. I will suggest they install a system for drinking water in place of the buckets left for the owners to fill. As far as dog waste there was no issue there. The grass was also kept and owners were picking up after their dogs. I wouldn’t suggest this park after rain due to the fact it’s mostly grass and would absolutely get muddy after a storm. If your dog is a fan of catch bring along a ball or toy because this park does not provide them. All and all it was a nice change of scenery. I will probably bring our dog Patriot back soon, he had a great time.

This place is great. I don’t understand the bad reviews. Maybe they have little dogs. There are two runs, one one 35 lbs and under and the other for larger dogs. I went to the side for larger dogs. There is a large area for the dogs to run and lots of saw palmettos and trees to root around. There is a mixture of grass and sand for digging. There are also hoses and buckets for water.
The last dog park i went to regularly was in Colorado. It had wonderful views, but was essentially a barren rectangle with little to interest an active pooch.
As for the other reviews, Buggy? It is South Florida, duh. Mud? It rains here every day for months in the summer, but in the winter, this park was perfectly dry.
My Great Dane/​greyhound had a blast.

This park seem like a fun time I don’t have a dog but i do enjoy seeing them play. They have a secure play area however I don’t know if some of the dogs play very well with others. For my animal needs it seems fine. I usually stop by if I’m watching a softball game or roller hockey, they have a nice sheltered pavilion with metal bench seating, Its also a good place to bring carry out and enjoy the fun. Also if you bring a motorcycle make sure to park in a designated spot they really enjoy writing tickets! P. S. No alcohol at this park. Get lit up first. Or pack a picnic basket with cups.

Bleh !!
Buggy.
Dirty.
Unsanitary.
Cigarette butts everywhere & a illness waiting to latch on to you or your dog.
Not to mention the uninhibited crowd that doesn’t seem to match the Naples demographic…
Naples needs to clean up their act, but I’m not surprised in the lack of effort because SWFL seems to be an unfriendly child and pet community. Disappointing.
NEXT!

If I could give this park 0 stars I would. This place is disgusting and is the biggest joke I’ve ever seen. Dog park? Heh, yeah right. First off, there’s two gated sections, one for little dogs (under 10lbs) and the other for bigger dogs. People who have little dogs obviously don’t care enough to want to keep them with dog’s their own weight, so don’t complain and yell when a 50 lb dog is sniffing your dog. Second, no one here picks up after their pet, so there’s poop everywhere. It’s filthy and gross, so watch your step. Third, it’s not really a park, more like a piece of land that Veterans Park gated. There’s tons of trees and bushes that aren’t really dog friendly, so there’s no where for them to run. The people who come here obviously don’t care about the above mentioned, and/​or their dogs are too old/​lazy so they end up laying their instead of playing.
Do yourself a favor and don’t go here. I think my dog was scarred after experiencing this so called dog park.

Collier County is not exactly kid or dog friendly. This park proves it. This year’s improvements are a concrete slab under an awning roof, surrounded by an enlarged circle of sand. Great no-​see-​um park, that patch. The County apparently likes to be green, but it’s a hostile place inside the chain link. They left the palmettors which can harbor snakes. I can only guess how many balls are lost in the thickets. Not all park visitors are responsible, either. We’ve come to expect a dog fight about every three visits, with the owners standing by doing nothing except almost admiring the action. Very uncivilized. Certainly wish this was different.

(Rover Run portion of the park)
My pup-​dog LOVES this park. There are fenced in areas based on your dogs size– ours goes to the big kids side. Nice large, palm tree-​scaped area for them to run around, socialize and play in. Picnic tables under the pavilion if you just want to sit and chill. Our guy runs and runs and runs, We throw the ball and he loves chasing– All his dog pals get in on it. Now there are large sand pitts everywhere, and I can’t imagine this place in rain season, I’m guessing a filthy mess.
Most of the dogs are normal, well behaved creatures, just the last time we went we encountered an aggressive dog, who quickly came in and bit two dogs, including ours. Owner MIA. So we stay pretty near him, to keep an eye on the others as well. Outside the play area is a little place where you can attempt to rinse their paws off.
We usually just take him home and directly to bath. All worth it though for how happy he is there, and how exhausted he gets after. It’s free. Can’t wait for the new one to open this winter.
One more thing… watch where you walk! (had to toss a great pair of Reef’s) and take your poop bags

This review is specifically for the DOG PARK area in Veterans Park.
In a word: gross.
It’s not kept up. There was a lot of mud and sand the last time I was there, lots of bugs. I got there and left five minutes later — it was that bad.
Collier County desperately needs a decent dog park.