McDuffie Park — Attraction in Albuquerque

Welcome to McDuffie Park, where the rules are made to be broken and the regulars will ice you out for expecting basic decency.

I’m done pretending this place is just a little rough around the edges. Let’s call it what it is, a sanctuary for entitled, leashless dog owners who treat public space like their private kennel, and a social club for bystanders whose only hobby is cold apathy.

First off, the local dog-owning regulars? They don’t just ignore the leash law, they weaponize it. Their idea of community is turning a blind eye to the risks their off-leash, poorly controlled dogs pose to everyone else. Don’t bother raising a concern; at best you’ll get a death glare, at worst you’ll get threatened. And when a parkgoer actually does speak up? The rest just quietly look away, signaling not my problem with all the moral courage of a wet paper bag.

Small dogs have been attacked and sometimes killed by the larger, off-leash dogs here. You’d think that’d be enough to spark some outrage or self-policing. Nope. The community response is a soft, shrugging tolerance for the regulars, not solidarity for the victims. Apparently, the unspoken rule at McDuffie is don’t rock the boat, even if the boat’s full of bite marks and trauma.

If you value your dog’s safety, or just want to enjoy a park without being menaced or stonewalled for defending yourself, steer clear. Until someone in this so-called community grows a spine, or the city decides to enforce its own leash laws (Not happening) McDuffie Park will stay a hazard zone dressed up as a public good.

Public spaces belong to everyone, not just the entitled and...

This is a beautiful park with lots of trees that I use to visit as a youngster in the 1960s and early 1970s. I hadn't been here in years until the homeless bums took over the park near my home and made it unbearable to take my dog to play with all the syringes, broken bottles and human excrement everywhere. I home the filthy bums never find this park and ruin it like they have our park. Some how I don't think the neighbors would allow that to happen because most of them are little timmy keller supporters and I'm sure he would jump right on clearing the bums out...

This is a nice little park that is very shady with tall trees and 3 metal benches. The park entrances are not marked. You have to walk between houses for access. There is one walkway from Markland and 3 of the two side streets. There is no formal parking for this park. You park on the street in front of someone's house. As for dogs, the entrances are not gated, so if your dog is a wanderer, do not take the leash off. There are signs up that say that dogs must be leashed but most were off leash. There is no water source that I could find so bring your own...