Hernando County’s Dog Park

I brought my 5 month old Westie puppy there so that he could learn to interact with other dogs. Unfortunately, two gentlemen allowed their puppies (both very large breed and surely over 50 lbs.) to play in the small dog area. The two dogs jumped on my puppy and encircled him. He was overwhelmed! They chased him under the picnic table nipping and jumping on him. I grabbed him and suggested that the two gentlemen bring their «puppies» into the appropriate area for larger dogs. They refused, indicating that they are only puppies and wouldn’t bite. They watched their puppies harass and terrorize my 10 lb. puppy.
This was a terrible situation. I left immediately. My puppy was shaking and quite scared. People like this are going to ruin the Dog Park for everyone. They probably don’t pick up after their animals either. I don’t know because I wasn’t able to stay longer than 10 minutes. Some people seem to feel entitled! Perhaps because I was a woman alone, they felt they could «push» me around. Too bad for all who have to interact with them.

Nice park. Lots of doggies around. Only giving it 4 stars because i noticed that other people don’t pick up after their dogs. Bring $ 2 for parking. We paid it because we figured it might go to the park maintenance, but we did notice almost nobody else paid.

I have been to this park on a few occasions with my wife she refused to get out of our car as there were unleashed dogs in the leashed area At the time there were 5 running around this area We have a 109 lb dog and my wife is still scared of other dogs who are unleashed she had to stay in the car while I let our dog play After that I walked our dog around the rest of the park leashed and one of the unleashed dogs came in my direction The owner followed their dog and told it to stop when it finally did I asked the owner could he read the sign that said a leash was required to have the dog in this part of the park and he said we always do this I guess he and the other two people that also had their dogs unleashed I then went over to the sign and called the parks department they said that it was not them that took care of any complaints but that the sheriff’s department took care of those matters. I called them and told them the story I don’t know if they came as we had to leave as we had an other engagement The dog park is very nice but if people don’t keep the rules It will only be used by the few who brake them

Visited on a beautiful spring day & our dog had a blast. We visited the under 32lb section. They had an over 32lb section as well as a service dog section. Most people observed the rules except for those that had a small & big dog. I saw two droppings (one fresh) that people hadn’t cleaned up but not everywhere. Your dog might need a bath afterwards because there is a lot of dirt patches. Looks like they try to mulch them but some are bare. We will revisit this park though it would be nice if parking was free.

Worst experience ever!!!
Went around 4:30p. Many dogs were not in their designated weight class runs. Also, dogs were running free and not leashed outside of dog runs as required. People did not pay for parking as required by honor system. I paid the $ 2. People do not pick up after their dogs as required. Also no one there to enforce the rules. Last straw was when this old, white man with his wife told my Hispanic friend that he needed to go back to Mexico. (He is not Mexican, but that is not the point.) Great place to go if you don’t mind walking your dog around a bunch of racist, old and miserable entitled white people who feel the rules don’t apply to them. This is a public place, NOT their own personal backyard! NEVER again!!! Personal note: I am white. Welcome to Florida!

I’m not a dog owner, but for the past three winters I have traveled down to Hernando County with my parents and their two dogs (a Jack Russell and a Border Collie). During these experiences I have discovered how difficult it can be to find a good dog park for our four legged friends to make new friends and run around freely. This is by far the best, and biggest, dog park that I’ve ever seen. Although I have limited experiences with this kind of thing, I’d have to imagine that this one rates top dog among the rest.
There are three separate, very large fenced in areas — one for large dogs, one for small and one for service dogs. Each is clearly marked with weight specifications and each entrance has two gates to pass through to ensure that there are no runaways. In addition there are small gated holding crates/​pens in case that someone needs extra assistance managing their furry friends. On the other side of the parking lot is a large open field where dogs can be walked without being fenced in. The rules of the park are clearly posted and, in my experience, everyone seems to abide by those rules. The users here seem to be very respectful which I’m sure is very important for the safety of all. It’s very clean and well maintained. There are always plenty of bags available to encourage people to clean up after their pets, and they DO.
I’ve spent a good amount of time at this dog park over the past three winters and have discovered what a really great social experience these places can be for pets and their owners. You can always tell who the regulars are. It’s cool to see how excited the dogs get to see their friends as they run around only to stop to sniff the new comers. The pet owners often gather on the picnic tables to take advantage of their own opportunity to socialize with others. I can definitely see the appeal.
This park has indoor human bathrooms (M&W). They are well maintained and clean. There is a self service meter to pay for parking. $ 2, I think.
I hope that dog owners find this Unilocal review helpful. If you have a dog, you should definitely discover this park.