Barkyard — Attraction in Cary

The Barkyard at Downtown Cary Park has potential, but it's currently plagued by issues stemming from irresponsible dog owners and a lack of enforcement. While the space itself is nice, with separate areas for big and small dogs, and features like artificial turf and water stations, the overall experience is often marred by the behavior of other patrons.

A major problem is the lax enforcement of rules. People frequently bring dogs that are clearly not suitable for a dog park environment, including those with aggression issues. This creates a stressful and potentially dangerous situation for other dogs and their owners. Additionally, the rules regarding outside items like food, treats, and toys are consistently ignored, leading to resource guarding and further potential for conflict.

Another concern is the presence of young children and even babies in the dog park, which is explicitly against the rules. This not only puts the children at risk but also distracts owners from properly supervising their dogs. The adjacent bar further exacerbates the problem, with some patrons becoming inebriated and inattentive to their dogs' behavior.

Overall, the Barkyard could be a fantastic community asset, but until these issues are addressed, it's a stressful and potentially risky environment for responsible dog owners. Stricter enforcement of the rules, along with more responsible behavior from dog owners, is desperately needed to make this a safe and enjoyable space for everyone.

Bottom line: if you value your dog's safety, avoid this place like the plague. It's a poorly managed, dangerous mess, and the lack of staff oversight makes it even worse. If there is a confrontation, most likely only 1 of the however many people are involved, will have their pass revoked and trespassed from the cary downtown park with no reason at all. Staff NEVER deal with the barkyard stuff as they admit it's not their job/ responsibility. People are all there for the booze and...

Overall Park is new. But the large dog barkyard is more long and narrow so it feels crowded when there are more than a few people in here. Other dog parks have water stations in the yard, but this one has it outside to share with the small dog yard. I don't believe this was designed exceptionally well, but it is better than nothing. Also, way too many people did not pick up after their dog, so that is quite disappointing. We'll see how this ages but I don't have high...

This park is over crowed with people, obstacles, and yes...dogs! It feels like this was an afterthought of the Downtown Cary park to just fence off an area and call it a dog park. This is a place where people socialize (why else is there a bar right outside it) and don't feel like they have to watch their dogs. The other Cary dog parks are much nicer and give you and your dog room to actually run around and play without risking running into...