Grand Junction and dogs (Redlands: hotel, house, schools)

[cammtb]

My family is considering moving to Grand Junction when my husband retires. We no longer have small children so schools aren't an issue. Cost of living there is cheaper than our current location. We don't want to be out in nowhereville so close to highway access is good for us. One concern we have is our dog. We know Grand Junction has a dog park but how are regulations for walking a leashed dog elsewhere? Is it safe to walk your dog at night (midnight) or is a dog run a necessity in the yard? How dog friendly is the area? And a concern for when the grandchildren spend the night; are there issues with bugs, spiders or do they tend to stay near the mountains so I know the grandchildren can safely play in the yard.

[jim9251]

Have you been to Grand Junction? Might want to visit. Anyway there is a 3 acre dog park in town open from 5am to midnight. Walking anything late at night isn't really advisable. The only thing you need to worry about in summer is mosquitoes. Also in summer, since temps reach in the upper 90's to 100 with a very hot dry desert wind, make sure your dog has plenty of water and shade.

Good luck to you.

http://www.doggoes.com/parks/colorad...grand-junction

[cammtb]

We've visited there a few times but have always stayed in a hotel and was without the dog. The reason I asked about walking the dog elsewhere besides the dogpark is because we've previously had a couple bad experiences with our dog being attacked by larger dogs at dog parks so we rarely let him run loose at parks; the yard is big enough that he can run around here and the neighbors dog comes over and the two dogs have a 'playdate'. My concern for the grandchildren was because on one of our visits there one of the locals was telling us that she had a problem with black widow spiders. Thanks for your reply. We definitely do everything to keep our dog cool in summer; I won't even take him in the car with me if the car has been parked outside of the garage in the summer sun. If I think it's uncomfortable then it's got to be a nightmare for the dog with his fur so even though he gives me his sad look I tell him it's for his own safety and he's better off staying in an airconditioned house then riding in a hot car :-)

[westslopeguy]

I live in the Redlands area and until my dog got too old I took her out on a 2 mile power walk every morning. I live in an area off the main drag and there are street lights on part of my walking route but not all of it. I am out on my walks early enough that there is normally not anyone else out. I still go on my walks, I just don't take my dog any more. I do carry a bear spray, as I found "bear exhaust" on my street a couple of times years ago. There are also a lot of critters around including skunks, so I don't let my dog out in the yard unsupervised.
I would say overall Grand Junction is a very dog friendly place, however those who are very responsible about dog ownership I believe are growing less tolerant of those who are not.