Waltham Dog Ranch

The Waltham Dog Ranch opened in late October. It has two separate sections, one for large dogs (over 30 lbs) and one for small dogs (under 30 lbs.). My two Maltese girls LOVE playing here. We have met some very nice dogs and their owners. It would be nice to have another bench or two to sit. There is a lot of free parking close to the ranch. I bring my own water for my girls. You need to be careful with the gate enclosures and they seem to break easily. It’s a great place to let your little ones and large ones play and socialize.

This new dog park is tucked away on the site of the old Metropolitan State Hospital site in Waltham off Trapelo Road, next to one of the remaining old buildings. There is parking and nearby bike paths.
While there are lots of open fields nearby, the fenced in areas of the dog park itself are small. There is an area for small dogs, separate from that of big dogs, but they are both small areas. The big dog area could stand to be much larger. The ground is gravel/​packed dirt… pebbles would be better. I can see this being muddy and have heard some owners complain the gravel is too sharp for paws. The entry/​exit points of the enclosures are not the usual «airlock» system with two gates, but a separate entry/​exit which did not keep other dogs from trying to escape with us when we left.
There is one bench for people to sit on, more benches would be nice. There is a trash can. There is currently no water, but I have heard that there are plans to add that in the spring.
There are fun things for dogs to run over and around, and someone has stocked the pens with tennis balls, but the best things dogs like to play with is the other dogs. Our dog was very happy to play with everyone! This new park was already very busy with dogs on a Sunday afternoon.
If we really want our dog to get some exercise, we would probably still go to Beaver Brook or Cat Rock Pak where there is more space to run, but this is a good option for play time! I hope Waltham listens and continues to make this park even better!