If my dog, Twyla, could drive, she would have me up at the crack of dawn, shepherd me through the dressing process, and tell me with many happy yips and yelps that she has a surprise outing for me. She would put together a wonderful picnic lunch (dog food for me and turkey-on-wheat for her, wouldn’t you know), scoot me out to the car, and off we’d go for a day at the dog park.
The Bay Area offers lots of parks for the enjoyment of dogs as well as people. Some might be right around the corner, many are a simple day trip away and worth the ride. I have listed below a dozen canine-friendly parks throughout the greater Bay Area, in no particular order, each of them a community park with a dog park embedded. Check websites for amenities and directions.
There are some important things to consider when co-parking with your dog:
- Picnicking in the dog park itself is asking for trouble – many dogs get food possessive, particularly in such a highly charged environment, and can become aggressive.
- Parks have rules about leaving your dog unattended in the dog run areas; check websites for policies or look for signage.
- Keeping your dog on a six-foot leash outside the dog area is common sense in any community park.
- It might be best to let your dog run and play to work off some energy before you sit down for your picnic.
- Just because there is seating in a dog park doesn’t mean you should sit down and zone out – always pay attention to your dog to make sure no trouble erupts.
- It is not safe to leave your dog alone and closed up in your car while you picnic without him – heat can build quickly and become life-threatening, even on cloudy days, and dog theft from cars is on the rise.
Go safely, and I’ll see you there. Don’t forget my turkey-on-wheat!
Marlin A. Pound Neighborhood Park
2010 Bluebell Dr., Livermore (also called Springtown Dog Park)
Paw Patch Dog Park
Newhall Park, Ayers and Turtle Creek, Concord (next to the Bocce Ball Court)
Canine Corral Dog Park
Hap Magee Ranch, 1029 La Gonda Way, Danville (in the rear of the park)
Wag World
Heather Farm Park, Ygnacio Valley Rd. at San Carlos Drive, Walnut Creek (end of the road)
C Bar C Park
8275 Oak Ave., Citrus Heights (near the ball field)
Sam Combs Dog Park
Sam Combs Park, 205 Stone Blvd., West Sacramento
Central Park Dog Park
Central Park, 1110 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont (in back of the park)
Seal Point Dog Park
Shoreline Park, San Mateo (off 3rd Ave. near the SFO airport)
Morgan Hill Off-Leash Dog Park
Edmundson Ave. and Monterey St., Morgan Hill
Butcher Dog Park
Butcher Park, 3050 Camden Ave. at Lancaster Dr., San Jose
(on the corner)
Polo Grounds Dog Park
Polo Grounds County Park, 2255 Huntington Avenue, Aptos
Animal Care Center Dog Park
Ragle Ranch Park, 50 Ragle Rd., Sebastopol (all the way back)
Gail S. Green, CPDT-KA, is a dog trainer and author of a book and several articles on dogs and dog parks in California. She is the co-founder of the first dog park in the U.S. Her book “Dog Parking It!” can be found on Amazon.com. Her co-author is Twyla, a nine-year-old Border Terrier mix rescue from MILO Foundation. You may reach Gail at bgdogs1@yahoo.com.
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