“In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag.”
― W.H. Auden
So this blog is really a follow-up of my last one, if you will (Dog Park 101). If you haven't read that, it is a good introduction to dog park etiquette. After discussing some of the ins and outs of dog parks, I decided to reveal some of my favorite dog parks in the Tails Up Pet Care area. If you wanna see some of the best dog handlers and sweetest pooches around, these are the places to go:
Hoover Park, 2901 Cowper Street, Palo Alto
Parking: Street
Rating: 4.5 paws
Hoover Park is in the heart of Palo Alto, right off Oregon Expressway. You wouldn't know it though, because it's a beautiful place. There are playscapes for kids, a baseball field, a shaded area with cool sculptures to climb and trees to lay under....and, of course, a dog park. Hoover dog park is a favorite for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they have a built-in water bowl and faucet for the dogs. WINNING! If you've ever hauled water (necessary at most parks), then you'll appreciate this all the more. Dakota, along with several of his friends, can't wait for the water from the spigot to hit the bowl, and he just slurps it happily as it comes out of the faucet. Wet, drippy dog face equals dog joy! The park is quite large, which is perfect for running off all that energy, fetching balls thrown by Chuck-its, and finding the perfect place to do your business. There are several shady areas compliments of some mature trees, which is not all that common in a dog park. There are benches for humans to sit, and pooper scoopers for the inevitable messes. The ground is made up of some kind of sandy dirt, so when it's dry outside-- an let's face it, it usually is-- it's pretty easy to brush off your dog. The down side of this park is that the water bowl area tends to get muddy; all that joyful dog splashing makes a mess! As I've said before, at Tails Up we play in the rain, and Hoover definitely gets large puddles and “lakes” in rainy weather. But overall, this park has it all, including friendly dogs and humans.
Greer Park, 1098 Amarillo Ave, Palo Alto
Parking: Lot, near the dog park
Rating: 3 paws
Greer Dog Park is nestled right next to 101 in Palo Alto, but is luckily blocked from the freeway noise by lots of trees. Gotta love California! As a whole, Greer Park is large and quite spread out, but does boast all the usual things: sports fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, picnic tables, and even a skateboarding bowl. The dog park itself has similar ground covering to Hoover, with little bits of grass along the sides. Greer dog park is essentially a long rectangular dog run, great for sprinting to get balls, or just running to your heart's content. There is a bench inside for the humans. The inside scoop from some of our handlers is that a doggy play group company brings large groups of dogs there on weekday mornings, and it can be a bit crowded. Having said that, after noon on a weekday the dog park is generally quiet....so you can take your pick! Speaking of a scoop, Greer has one of those for picking up the poop. But do bring your own water, as there is none in this dog park. Greer is a nice in a tucked-in-the-corner kinda way. And there's a walkway that runs right by the dog area, perfect for people to admire your pooch!
Willow Oaks Dog Park, 490 Willow Road, Menlo Park
Parking: Lot (limited spaces)
Rating: 4 paws
Willow Oaks Dog park is one of my personal favorites, just for the sheer size alone....it's BIG! The park itself has a playground area, tennis courts, a large grassy area for soccer or frolicking, and water fountains. Willow Oaks is a combination of grass and dirt, which makes for some oh-so-happy dogs. So many of our dogs LOVE to dig in that dirt! Remy the Golden Retriever is quite fond of digging a shallow hole and laying in the cool dirt after chasing his ball. Some of our other furry friends just find it fun to make a dirty mess. In dry weather, this is pretty easy to brush off, but in the rain, Zoey the white cockapoo will become black here, so watch out! Because the dog area is so large, there is plenty of room for lots of dogs to play, run, and especially fetch. There is no way your dog can come home from Willow Oaks and not be tired! If your dog does his business, there are bags and scoops to help you clean up. There is no water at this park, so you do have to bring your own. But hey, you can fill your jug in that water fountain, conveniently located by the parking lot. And when you're at Willow, you're almost assured to have friendly dogs and humans to play with. It's a win for sure.
BONUS: Mary Avenue Dog Park, 10309 Mary Ave., Cupertino
Parking: Lot directly in front of park
Rating: 5 paws
So this dog park is outside of the Tails Up Pet Care area, but it is in MY 'hood, and let me tell you-- I love this place! First and foremost, it has something that a lot of dog owners love, but not a lot of parks have: a small dog area and a large dog area. Both sections are quite sizable, with trees and plenty of open space to run around. The fence is very high, so dogs have no shot at jumping it. Inside the leash removal area, there are several water fountains;: one for humans, one low one for dogs, and a spigot for filling up water bowls. This watering hole is the bomb, y'all! There's always a large bucket in the big dog area that someone has left there as a large water bowl. There are bags and scoops for dog waste, a table with bench seats, and 2 regular benches. But MY favorite thing about this park are the patrons. My first time there, several of the regulars introduced themselves to me. They all hang out together at the park daily (the best times to come are 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.), know about each other's lives, dogs, ailments, and triumphs. This dog park is like the “Mayberry” of dog parks; it's “Cheers”, where everybody knows your name, your dog's name, and....they're always glad you came. For real.
Of course, there are more dog parks in the area that I haven't discussed, but as I said, these are my favorites, and the ones that Tails Up Pet Care frequents the most. Over the years, through trial, error, and visits, these parks are the ones that have proven, in our minds, and in the hearts of our dogs, to be the best. Happy dogs, happy humans, happy life! Play on, friends. Play on.
― W.H. Auden
So this blog is really a follow-up of my last one, if you will (Dog Park 101). If you haven't read that, it is a good introduction to dog park etiquette. After discussing some of the ins and outs of dog parks, I decided to reveal some of my favorite dog parks in the Tails Up Pet Care area. If you wanna see some of the best dog handlers and sweetest pooches around, these are the places to go:
Hoover Park, 2901 Cowper Street, Palo Alto
Parking: Street
Rating: 4.5 paws
Hoover Park is in the heart of Palo Alto, right off Oregon Expressway. You wouldn't know it though, because it's a beautiful place. There are playscapes for kids, a baseball field, a shaded area with cool sculptures to climb and trees to lay under....and, of course, a dog park. Hoover dog park is a favorite for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they have a built-in water bowl and faucet for the dogs. WINNING! If you've ever hauled water (necessary at most parks), then you'll appreciate this all the more. Dakota, along with several of his friends, can't wait for the water from the spigot to hit the bowl, and he just slurps it happily as it comes out of the faucet. Wet, drippy dog face equals dog joy! The park is quite large, which is perfect for running off all that energy, fetching balls thrown by Chuck-its, and finding the perfect place to do your business. There are several shady areas compliments of some mature trees, which is not all that common in a dog park. There are benches for humans to sit, and pooper scoopers for the inevitable messes. The ground is made up of some kind of sandy dirt, so when it's dry outside-- an let's face it, it usually is-- it's pretty easy to brush off your dog. The down side of this park is that the water bowl area tends to get muddy; all that joyful dog splashing makes a mess! As I've said before, at Tails Up we play in the rain, and Hoover definitely gets large puddles and “lakes” in rainy weather. But overall, this park has it all, including friendly dogs and humans.
Greer Park, 1098 Amarillo Ave, Palo Alto
Parking: Lot, near the dog park
Rating: 3 paws
Greer Dog Park is nestled right next to 101 in Palo Alto, but is luckily blocked from the freeway noise by lots of trees. Gotta love California! As a whole, Greer Park is large and quite spread out, but does boast all the usual things: sports fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, picnic tables, and even a skateboarding bowl. The dog park itself has similar ground covering to Hoover, with little bits of grass along the sides. Greer dog park is essentially a long rectangular dog run, great for sprinting to get balls, or just running to your heart's content. There is a bench inside for the humans. The inside scoop from some of our handlers is that a doggy play group company brings large groups of dogs there on weekday mornings, and it can be a bit crowded. Having said that, after noon on a weekday the dog park is generally quiet....so you can take your pick! Speaking of a scoop, Greer has one of those for picking up the poop. But do bring your own water, as there is none in this dog park. Greer is a nice in a tucked-in-the-corner kinda way. And there's a walkway that runs right by the dog area, perfect for people to admire your pooch!
Willow Oaks Dog Park, 490 Willow Road, Menlo Park
Parking: Lot (limited spaces)
Rating: 4 paws
Willow Oaks Dog park is one of my personal favorites, just for the sheer size alone....it's BIG! The park itself has a playground area, tennis courts, a large grassy area for soccer or frolicking, and water fountains. Willow Oaks is a combination of grass and dirt, which makes for some oh-so-happy dogs. So many of our dogs LOVE to dig in that dirt! Remy the Golden Retriever is quite fond of digging a shallow hole and laying in the cool dirt after chasing his ball. Some of our other furry friends just find it fun to make a dirty mess. In dry weather, this is pretty easy to brush off, but in the rain, Zoey the white cockapoo will become black here, so watch out! Because the dog area is so large, there is plenty of room for lots of dogs to play, run, and especially fetch. There is no way your dog can come home from Willow Oaks and not be tired! If your dog does his business, there are bags and scoops to help you clean up. There is no water at this park, so you do have to bring your own. But hey, you can fill your jug in that water fountain, conveniently located by the parking lot. And when you're at Willow, you're almost assured to have friendly dogs and humans to play with. It's a win for sure.
BONUS: Mary Avenue Dog Park, 10309 Mary Ave., Cupertino
Parking: Lot directly in front of park
Rating: 5 paws
So this dog park is outside of the Tails Up Pet Care area, but it is in MY 'hood, and let me tell you-- I love this place! First and foremost, it has something that a lot of dog owners love, but not a lot of parks have: a small dog area and a large dog area. Both sections are quite sizable, with trees and plenty of open space to run around. The fence is very high, so dogs have no shot at jumping it. Inside the leash removal area, there are several water fountains;: one for humans, one low one for dogs, and a spigot for filling up water bowls. This watering hole is the bomb, y'all! There's always a large bucket in the big dog area that someone has left there as a large water bowl. There are bags and scoops for dog waste, a table with bench seats, and 2 regular benches. But MY favorite thing about this park are the patrons. My first time there, several of the regulars introduced themselves to me. They all hang out together at the park daily (the best times to come are 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.), know about each other's lives, dogs, ailments, and triumphs. This dog park is like the “Mayberry” of dog parks; it's “Cheers”, where everybody knows your name, your dog's name, and....they're always glad you came. For real.
Of course, there are more dog parks in the area that I haven't discussed, but as I said, these are my favorites, and the ones that Tails Up Pet Care frequents the most. Over the years, through trial, error, and visits, these parks are the ones that have proven, in our minds, and in the hearts of our dogs, to be the best. Happy dogs, happy humans, happy life! Play on, friends. Play on.
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