Denver Dogs (Westminster, Boulder, Parker: best neighborhoods, apartments, rental)

[ellery]

Hi, my husband and I will be moving to the Denver/Boulder area this summer. We have two big dogs that we like to take to dog parks and hiking. What are the best neighborhoods in Denver for living with dogs? I'm hoping to find somewhere with housing in the 1100-1300 monthly rental amount, an organic vegetarian scene, some nice wide open spaces, and cool diverse people. Any thoughts?

Also, what is the commute from Denver to Boulder like in the snow? (I am from San Diego and don't know how to drive in snow - yet.)

Thanks!

[masalamomma]

I don't have dogs so am no expert. Be advised that there are bike paths all throughout the Denver Metro area that go for miles and miles. You can literally go from one end of town to the other. BUT, you must have your dog on a leash. OR, I know there is an edge of Cherry Creek Park accessed via Parker Road that has a HUGE dog run. There are constantly cars coming and going from there. There is a nice wooded path and big open fields. Nearby this place are some nice new areas, shopping. There are alot of apartments along Parker Road.

If you take your dogs to areas where leash is required, be sure to follow the rules. One weekend we went hiking and a woman berated another woman for not having her dog on a leash as required.

All the freeways in the snow are the same. From Denver to Boulder is quite a commute in my opinion. You may be better off choosing some place in the middle like Westminster, or the new areas around Flat Iron Crossing Mall are really nice.

[BlueWillowPlate]

For as many dog owners as Denver has, the dog park scene is a bit disappointing. This might be partly because a few discourteous dog owners (people who do not properly control their dogs, or don't clean up after them) ruin it for others: the anti-dog lobby became very strong, and defeated an attempt to open a dog park at Cheesman Park, which was a huge disappointment. As a result, doggie daycares are quite popular.

Dog parks in Denver are few and far between, and they aren't that great, so the better ones tend to be overused.
In addition to this, dog people tend to furtively gather to illegally let their dogs off-leash here and there (including a huge grassy area in Cheesman, the central part of Washington Park, and East High school across 17th from City Park.)

One of the best dog parks is Stapleton: South-East side of Syracuse, between 20th and 23rd. It has real grass, shade and water and lots of room.

Denver's city dog parks are not that great, especially during the hot summers.
But here they are:

Denver's first Off-Leash dog park. It is open from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. The park is located directly behind the Denver Animal Control building. Location: 666 S. Jason. Directions: Take Alameda to S. Platte River Drive, go left - it turns into Jason St & the dog park is up a few blocks on the right.

* Berkeley Park, located at Sheridan Avenue and W. 46th Street
* Barnum Park, located at Hooker Street and W. 5th Avenue
* Kennedy Park, located at Hampden Avenue and S. Dayton Street
* Fuller Park, located at Franklin Street and E. 29th Avenue (some shade, bring your own water)

Don't know if it is still there, but there was a doggie daycare, City Bark, at about 4th and Kalamath that had a water park and was open on the weekends with an honor system. You pay $5 and your dog can splash and play for as long as you like.
There are very few hiking areas where dogs are not expected to be on leash.

[2bindenver]

There are two in HR and one between Holly & Quebec on County Line.

Plenty of places to bring your dogs hiking, like all the fourteeners.

[TinajaCo]

Chatfield also has a large off-leash area for dogs... I don't have dogs so I don't know if it's a good one or not, but I know it is often very busy.

For the Denver/Boulder commute, it depends where in Denver you are looking. But in general, it'd be a good little commute-- count on 35 minutes from downtown in good weather, with average (not rush hour) traffic. Rush hour can be bad, especially with the population growth that has occured along that corridor.

[Katarina Witt]

Dog "guardianship" is very popular in Boulder. People do not legally "own" dogs there. I personally do not have a dog, but read about this stuff all the time in the Boulder paper. People in Boulder take their dogs out to Boulder Co Open Space a lot. There is some conflict there between dog guardians and others, including parents of small children and other dog guardians.