I took my dog Odin to the park soon after the grand opening.
Pros: The park is off leash and open from sun up to sun down 7 days a week. The area is fairly large (8400 sq ft. for large dogs and 2900 sq ft for small dogs) and as previously mentioned there are separate areas for large and small dogs. The entrance to the park was designed for the dogs to be let loose in a holding area prior to the entrance/exiting of the actual doggie park. So no worries of any of the dogs getting out of the park and having to be chased down by their owners. The doggie water fountain is delightful. It has a faucet to refill the built in water bowl that slowly drains so that there is never any standing water ensuring the dogs always drink fresh water but... I don't suggest any humans help themselves to that water (I know you wouldn't think anyone would ever need to say that but :-/ but yeah, ya really do!). As also previously mentioned there is a supply of doggie waste bags and a "dogipot" waste disposal receptacles for easy clean up (thanks to the "Friends of Valley Stream Dog Park" - you got us!). There is a fixed wooden boarder around the inside of the fence to prevent any injuries to our pets paws from the fencing. A working water hose that is in place for the doggie park maintenance crew to wash down the park. I am told that the equipment and the rocks are sprayed with a pet safe cleaning agent and thoroughly rinsed weekly (but don't hold me to that - I haven't actually seen them clean it). The park does not restrict the use of the water hose so you can use the hose to play with the dogs or cool them off on a hot day. I used it for that and to hose down another dog owner. What, you seemed shocked? Come on, it's the summer - live a little! Oh, I have an appearance ticket on that offense - nahhh just kidding . There is plenty of human seating on the benches and picnic tables. There is a dog ramp and a few athletic additives available for dog play/training. The dog park is frequently monitored by the town auxiliary and park police. They do verify to make sure your pooch is registered and authorized to be in the park, which I appreciated for our safety and since we paid for the registration.
Con: the only con I can think of is the rocks, the rocks and oh did I say the rocks? The times that I have been there my Odin (and I've witnessed a majority of other dogs) are uncomfortable with the rocks. Odin is limited with running and horse play because of the rocks and I've been told by other owners that their dog has received cuts on their paws from them. Not my Odin, but then if Odin did cut his paws, they would not be happy with my visit to their offices. Anyway... After a few minutes of the dogs running around they look for and find ways to get off of the rocks, which is when you will see them on the tables, the benches, the ramp and even the wooden boarder surrounding the park. Most dog owners understand this and I have not ever witnessed or heard of anyone complaining about the fact that the human seating areas have been taken over by the dogs. After all, its a dog park so its their domain - we deal with it.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST - UPDATE ON THE ROCKS: You will be happy to know this morning I spoke to an "official" of the Village of Valley Stream regarding the dog park, and the board has just approved this past Tuesday a budget of $20,000 to be used for the dog park! The town has contracted with the company called Landtek and if I have my information correct Landtek will be installing the "field turf" within the next month so the pouch paw problems with the rocks will soon be a distant memory! The new "field turf" will offer the same drainage or better then what the rocks offer, but will have some gel stuff which provides some springing to the turf. It will be installed underneath the turf for padding and comfort as well as smaller pebbles and other stuff to make it all cushiony and comfortable as well as functional for the dogs as well and the cleanliness and maintenance of the park.
Also regarding Park Access............. For residents who were involved with the beginning discussions of building the dog park (or may have heard about it) the "scoop" was that the village planned to issue an electronic wand (or type of electronic key) to unlock the gate of the dog park. Anyone who was registered was to get a magic wand to open the gate. The funds were not in the budget at that time to proceed with that plan, however...... I was told by the official I spoke to this morning, that this has not been forgotten about and is still in the plans. Hopefully by next year that will be our way in! read more