The walker & the feeder finally got off their lazy butts and took me to the new City BARK Dog Park in City Park. It was a weekday afternoon so there weren't too many dogs out but it was still really fun to run around without a leash. The permit costs $35/year for up to 3 dogs per household. We got a permit but they were out of cards due to an overwhelming response to their grand opening. It seems they opened on Saturday and expected about 500 people to apply for permits and had more than 1000 people apply for permits by Thursday afternoon. That is great! The permit agent said that we should look for the City Bark volunteer, show our proof of permit and they would let us in. Unfortunately, the volunteer wasn't at the gate to let us in but we eventually got one of the other patrons to let us in since we didn't have a card.
I spent most of my time in the small dog area. It is great! It will be even better when the grass grows in and the trees get bigger for shade. The big dog area is much larger and seems really nice. I like that I can see all of the big dogs through the fence but don't have to deal with them. There are dog-friendly water fountains in both areas. It is nice that you don't have to go through the big dog area to get to the small dog area.
PROS:
Large areas to run & plan
Separate area small dogs
Water fountains
Poop bag dispensers
CONS:
People who bring their large dogs into the small dog area. (Note: It doesn't matter if your big dog is friendly. Some little dogs don't respond well to large dogs.)
Lack of shade (will be remedied eventually when the trees grow)
Lack of permit cards/volunteers to let permitted visitors in
Overall, it was a great experience! I just hope that I can get the walker and the feeder to take me out there again soon!
