Dog lovers know that their furry companions need plenty of room to run, and socialize with other dogs. Dog parks are great. They give people with dogs a place to let their dogs run, and be around other dogs and yet have the comfort of knowing their dog can’t run away, or be hurt.
So what makes a good dog park? Here are my picks for Tampa’s top five dog parks.
1) Fort De Soto Paw Playground
This park has two large fenced areas, one for larger dogs and one for smaller dogs. They offer hoses for you to rinse your dog off on those scorching hot summer days that are best known here in Florida. I was thoroughly impressed with the beautiful dog beach, where they are allowed to be unleashed. Paw playground also offers drinking water for the dogs as well.
2) Rowlett Park
Though it doesn’t separate larger breeds from the smaller breeds, I was impressed with the no aggressive dogs rule of this park. The area was nice and had plenty of shade to cool down in. They had very nice agility obstacles for training and exercising.
3) Davis Islands Dog Park
Though a little hard to find, I did like it when I finally found it. A little piece of doggie heaven located right on the water. The have picnic tables were you can sit and watch your pooch make new friends. The park is really spacious and I loved watching the dogs run.
4) Honeymoon Island State Park
I drove a little bit to get to this one but it was worth it. This wide open dog beach had shallow water so my miniature pincher who is scared of everything loved wading in it. He had a blast making new friends! The parking lot is a little far from the actual doggie beach and you must keep your dog leashed while walking through the park, but the park was really nice so I didn’t mind the walk.
5) Logan Gate Park
I loved how open and spacious this park was! Larger dogs were separated from the smaller ones. Doggie bags were provided and there were buckets for water, spigots and water fountains. Which kept my dogs cool since there wasn’t much shade.
Tampa is a very dog friendly city. After trying to narrow down my favorite five these made the cut. There are a lot of dog parks in the area however, though you either have to pay for parking, or the play areas are just much too small.