St Johns County area dogparks (Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach: for sale, skateboarding, daycare)

[tamcim72]

I would like to know if anyone has any experiences w/ the dog parks in SJC? Which ones do you visit? What times of day? Are there others there? Are the dogs well behaved?

I've visited Davis park (the pond area) and sometimes i've seen another dog but its usually empty. My dog does like to splash in the water though. We visited Veterans park this weekend and my dog got bit by a "regular" so I'm hesitant to go there again. I've seen a dog park on Anastasia island by Pope rd but never brought mine.

[riveree]

In St. John's county, I used to go to Davis Park and also to the dog park on Wildwood (near The Shores).

My comments are a few years dated because we stopped going to dog parks (one of my dogs, as she fully matured at 3 yrs old, became too dominant to be at dog parks).

The dog park on Wildwood (if it's still there ) is small and manageable with no water. I also liked that you can walk your dog through the nature trail or watch the skateboarders (there's a skateboarding section of the park). So there are some other fun things to do with your dog there.

Davis is really nice, especially if you have a swimmer . It's a large park though, so you lose a bit of the manageability factor. On the other hand, you can also get some space from the other dogs when you need it.

In general, you'll find a lot of well-behaved dogs at the dog park, but you'll run into those wild cards too . It's not the dogs' fault, some owners just refuse to play by the rules. The rules are clearly posted at the entrance, but people will still bring their intact males into the park, bring small dogs into the big dog section, etc.

As I said, I no longer bring my dogs to the dog park and I know a lot of people who have stopped going. I really used to believe in the dog parks as a great form of socialization, but now I find other ways to socialize my dogs. It might be a different experience for you though, you'll have to see.

If you're new to dog parks, you might want to start a discussion on the DOGS forum for some tips .

[mawipafl]

Our Jax area dog park experiences:

Poochies (Clay Co, off Blanding) - membership park - large dog park perhaps an acre+ in size with a pond in the middle, lots of trees, benches, chairs; small dog park is good-sized but also shares space with agility training equipment and feels like an after-thought; there's a bathing station near entrance gate. We tested the place a year ago and liked it and joined (@$200/yr) - quite a few dogs, nice people, lots of space for our more shy dog to explore on his own. However, demographics seemed to change over the months, and our later experiences were not fun (large dogs not monitored by their owners and went into the small dog area; dog owners not paying attention to the behaviors of their dogs). Additionally, there's a doggie daycare there, separated by a 8' stockade fence - but during one of our visits, a dog from the daycare could easily scale the fence and went over it at will. We stopped going. Perhaps it's different now - don't know.

Dogwood (off Salisbury Rd) - membership - we haven't been there, but it looks nice - big, lots of trees, pond(s). However, the property is for sale (dog park is still open though).

Veterans (SJC, off Racetrack, off Veterans Pkwy) - free - after we finally found it (behind the skateboard park), there were no other dogs there (visited twice and nada both times). Small dog park was small and our dog's exploration was finished quickly.

Paws (off Beach Blvd, on Penman behind all the ballparks) - free - visited for the first time just last night. In the small dog park there was a covered patio for shade, water available, decent sized. The handful of dogs were well-behaved and the people friendly (did we luck out or is that the norm?). The large dog park also had a handful of dogs who seemed to be having well-behaved fun. I can't say if it is a detriment or not, but in the center of the large dog park is a fenced off retention pond making that park somewhat like a rectangular donut.

We're somewhat inclined not to revisit any of the above parks except for Paws - we'll go there again.

Visiting off-leash dog parks seems to be a "crap shoot" these days, so we're more apt to do the social thing on leash at Jacksonville Beach, downtown Jacksonville, or at St Johns Towne Center - at the latter there's a teeny tiny off-leash dog park behind the buildings near Dick's.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Visiting off-leash dog parks seems to be a "crap shoot" these days, so we're more apt to do the social thing on leash at Jacksonville Beach, downtown Jacksonville, or at St Johns Towne Center - at the latter there's a teeny tiny off-leash dog park behind the buildings near Dick's.

That's nice , I did not know there was a dog park there.

[mawipafl]

Yes, the Towne Center off-leash dog area is really, really small, but it does afford a spot for a dog to sniff around on grass and such and get a break from cement.

Where exactly are the dog parks Davis and Wildwood?

[riveree]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Yes, the Towne Center off-leash dog area is really, really small, but it does afford a spot for a dog to sniff around on grass and such and get a break from cement.

Where exactly are the dog parks Davis and Wildwood?

Davis Park is in Palm Valley. It's a really big park and they have a big dog park inside of it (all free):

Davis Park

What I referred to as "the dog park on Wildwood" (I could not remember the name of the dog park ) is actually called Paws Dog Park and it's inside Treaty Park (also all free):

Treaty Park

[mawipafl]

Thanks Riv!! Both places look worthy of visits!

[donisanasfan]

This is a really old thread, but just wondering if any one knew what kind of pine type trees are planted at Davis Park Dog Park? They are a really nice soft looking pine that provide a lot of shade. Would love to know what they are, as they remind me a bit of trees from Colorado more then Florida and I'd like to plant a few on my property. Thanks.

[grsPAFL]

I feel your pain re: Veterans Park.
I've spoken up a few times to the regulars who think that nature should take its course with their aggressive dog and your submissive one. Unfortunately, they are thick as a brick. I think the park draws on an area where people are unsocialized.
I (+ dog) always have a good time at Davis - it seems to draw on a better class of people. If it's empty, after a while new dogs show up. It take me 30 min. to get there so I'm inclined to be patient. Also, they have a nice dog wash area. Remember to bring a towel.