NorthBark Dog Park — Attraction in Dallas

Nice dog park, and most people there are very nice. Very spacious with plenty of room for our little fur babies. I didn't notice a lot of people not picking up poop like other reviews. One thing I did notice (which seems to be a constant at most Dallas dog parks) is that people bring their large dogs into the 0-30lbs area. They then allow their dogs to be aggressive towards the younger dogs or people's children. I can even understand the larger dogs that are docile and are apt to being around smaller dogs because there are smaller dogs in their own family. I don't have a young one that runs around and plays in there because that's our dog's time to play with other dogs, but I noticed some kids that were running and one of the larger dogs almost attacked the young kid until the owner told them not to run or her dog will be aggressive with them and no one said anything. The mother was scared to let her own kids even move suddenly, like this lady owned the park and we had to follow her own rules. I understand that parents have to control their kids, but also at the first sign of aggression, owners should exit the park (especially since their large dog is in the wrong area) per posted ACTUAL rules. I always tell my son (which is 12) to not touch of get in ANY dogs face. Even if an owner says "it's ok" our pets can still be unpredictable. But then again, my son shouldn't have to "be careful and don't make any sudden movements or my dog will attack." There was one of these larger dogs (in the 0-30lbs area) come and get aggressive and start snarling at my son when we were playing rock paper, scissors and was told to not make any sudden moves like that, but that her dog wouldn't actually hurt us. When I got up to shew the dog away she told me he wasn't going to hurt anyone...I know he wasn't...I wasn't going to give him the chance. From my understanding, the lady meets up with a group that frequents the place, but that shouldn't override the overall safety of others or carry any kind of seniority over newcomers. The same lady's dog was being overly aggressive and there were other people correcting her dog, but she was doing nothing besides saying "he won't hurt you" when the dog was clearly being aggressive with other dogs and wouldn't stop. Any ideas how others would've handles it? I was trying to keep my cool, but it was...

We enjoyed the small dog park with NO dog poop piles all over. I was worried and almost didn't go because of the other reviews. Maybe it's because we went on a 38 degree Saturday at 12:30pm with few people there, but it was super clean.

The small dog park is huge with plenty of central seating for dog owners. I love how it is completely separate from the large dog park and has two secure gates to walk through before entering the grass. Speaking of grass, it has plenty. It's obviously not green due to winter, but it is like a big yard versus dirt terrain like some other dog parks.

The park had ample trash cans with poop bags available. It also had a couple of water fountains for people and dogs.

We went three days after a heavy rain, and there were only a few slightly muddy spots in the back, so it must have great drainage. If you go to the park's website, it gives you a number to call for Dallas dog parks. It will tell you if the park is open in case you are worried after a massive rain or other weather. Otherwise, it's only closed on Tuesdays.

Even though this park is 20 minutes away since we live in mid-Dallas, I will definitely visit again. I like the overall grass park better than the White Rock Dog Park, including better parking (its own private lot with 6 good-size rows), and it drains way better (White Rock is closed a long time after heavy rains!).

The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that I used one of the port-o-potties by the small dog park. It hadn't been cleaned in 8 days (it's usually cleaned weekly based on the schedule on the inside door), and it was quite "full" so I had to hover and tread lightly to avoid any splashing. Eek!

Great park,...

I love the pond at NorthBark, and so does my Golden Retriever. We go there 3 to 4 times each week. However, there are a few improvements that could be made. For over a year there has been standing water around the doggie shower. This standing water could be a health hazard to the dogs and the humans, plus there is mud everywhere. The water is collecting because the shower drain is much too small and continually gets clogged with dog hair. This drain needs to be enlarged. For the past three weeks (June 2015) the drain has been completely stopped up, even after clearing away the hair. The drain needs to be repaired. There is just a single poop bag dispenser in the pond area, while there are 5 in the dry area for the big dogs. The pond area would stay much cleaner if there was another poop bag dispenser on the far side of the pond. With another one, people would be more likely to clean up after their dogs while away from the single dispenser. Trash accumulates in the pond because there are no trash receptacles on the far side of the pond, and the trash does not get carried back to the two existing receptacles. One or two more trash receptacles would help the pond area stay beautiful.

Thank you for considering these improvements!

Please also consider the use of volunteers to help keep the dog park beautiful and sanitary. Many of us go there multiple times per week. We could each take an hour one day a week to do simple chores, such as pick up trash, fill the poop bag dispensers, weeding, light pruning, report items needing city attention, even picking up poop. This would help keep the dog park a beautiful place for dogs and...