Brookhaven Park — Attraction in Brookhaven

This park has gone to the dogs. Really.

There are sports fields, a playground and a community center. But, if you visit the one thing that stands out is that this is really just one bigt dog park.

Despite all the dogs, the owners seem to do a good job of picking up after their pets.

The rules posted at the entrance remind everyone to keep their dogs on a leash at all times. In reality it's rare to see any dogs on leashes at any time.

In the Spring of 2015 a Brookhaven city councilman told me they would soon be cracking down on unleashed pets. It's December 2015 as I write this and such a crackdown has yet to happen.

Brookhaven has been holding public meetings in recent months to get input on how to improve all city parks for those who use them (both two and four legged visitors.) You can expect some improvements and changes in 2016 based on the input from those meetings.

Four stars from the human point of view.

Five stars if you are a dog looking to...

One of the most convenient and popular dog parks in the area. Which means that ex: antisocial folks with dogs who are weird about their balls like to act like your dog is crazy if it interacts with them. It's a good place to socialize your dog but there is often drama between dog owners .. if you have a smaller dog in the park, Don't pick it up when a larger dog is investigating it!!! This increases the likelihood that your dog will get aggressive because it is restricted and the other dogs will jump up! I thought this was basic dog knowledge but I can't Tell you how many times someone is running away from me and my dog and the human is spinning and panicking. And my dog isn't aggressive at all, it's a terrible practice that is so common. It takes the community to help staying calm and having knowledge about leash...

I'm visiting here for the first time today. Arriving shortly before noon, I find a beautiful (albeit simple) park populated with several family's with kiddos of both the human and furry variety. Even with the two dozen or so groups visiting on this day, it's in no way claustrophobic or constrained. It is noteworthy to mention that lots of the dogs are off the chain (do the kids still say that?) but all seem well behaved and under control. Plenty of benches, grilles, and shade trees (I promised myself I'd leave the hot mom's out of this review😎) top off this gem of a park. Hopefully this review is helpful.... I ask only one thing in return... If you meet a pitbull named Gidget do NOT mention that I was here without her. Her wrath and vicious kisses know no bounds. Cheers. ...