Hillcrest Dog Park — Attraction in Grand Rapids

Overall: I'm new to this park and have been here several times at different times of the day. It offers lots of shade and a large area for dogs to run around. However when humidity is high and in the summer months (June/July) the shade does nothing to prevent dogs and dog-parents from overheating. Though I have had great conversations with people here, it does not have a welcoming and friendly culture like some other dog parks I've done. It feels more neutral. There are a lot of benches to sit down however depending on the time of day they don't always provide much shade. A suggestion for this dog park would be to add more coverage for the benches. Also water is not easily accessible here so adding direct water access to refill the dog water bowls in both the large/ small dog section would make this place so much better. This place usually has 10 dogs present at a minimum and I've noticed they run out of water very fast and not every one bothers getting them water.

DOG OWNERS: PLEASE DO NOT bring in young children or small children into the large dog section! I've seen many close calls and a few times smaller kids knocked down by dogs playing hard! Even if YOUR large dog and child are comfortable around eachother doesn't mean that will be the case with other dogs. Keep in mind many of these dogs are over 100 lbs and playing very hard with each other! I've seen people bring in their toddlers in with little regard to the power and size behind the dogs! Also PLEASE do some research on dog body language and dog behavior before going to any dog park! I've seen many ignorance go around at dog parks when interpreting dog behavior. Also be very comfortable & confident with all types of dogs when coming here knowing dogs here are super excited meaning that: they will hump on you, they will lick you, they will bark at you and so forth and this does NOT mean they are being aggressive! I've seen too many times very friendly dogs being accused of being aggressive by ignorant people. If you aren not comfortable & confident around these behaviors then you should NOT go to dog parks. Dogs are VERY SMART and they can detect/ feel when someone is afraid and only lead dogs to react to that behavior! Same thing ties in with children, if they aren't comfortable and the dogs detect their fear than dogs dont like this! Same rules apply for small dogs. THEY DO NOT BELONG in the large dog section. I've seen this happen at least every time I've gone to this dog park! What the heck are you thinking? Taking your small, often-times barking dog in with the large dogs. This throws all the larger dogs off!!! DONT DO IT. Small is small & large is large!! FOLLOW THE RULES.

You guys know what you are signing up for. Please be considerate and...

I go to this dog park weekly and I must say, it's always been a positive experience. The people are usually very friendly and we haven't had any issues with anyone up until now. Today my dog was making friends with some people and they were kicking a ball for my puppy to chase. Somehow her face got too close to the ball and this guy kicked her in the face, she seemed fine, although she looked a little stunned. She brought the ball over to us and that's when I noticed the blood. Turns out the guy knocked her upper right k9 tooth straight out. I approached the man to simply ask about it and he didn't even apologize or seem sorry at all, he got very defensive and just started to make excuses saying "it's probably just a baby tooth, shes probably fine." I completely understand that it was an accident but at least act like you're sorry that you kicked my dog in the face. Also, it's definitely not a baby tooth seeing as my dogs 14 months old. I called the animal hospital just to make she she is ok for now and they told me to take her in to see the vet asap to make sure there is no nerve damage. Thanks man with the 7 month old...

This park is awesome for large or small dogs. We always take our Boxer/Shepherd mix and 99% of the time it is a great and fun experience for us both. There are endless amounts of tennis balls around and plenty of water for the pups. My dog hasn't had any problems with any of the breeds that go to the park from Pitbull's to Corgi's. Most owners know how their dogs play and what dogs they can play with. If a poor owner comes it ruins the experience completely. Hopefully when you go all of the owners will be the smart owners that typically frequent the park.

The only warning I would give would be if a man with an overweight black lab is there don't bother going in. If your dog or any dog gets near his dog he will shout at them to "Get away from him" or will get very aggressive. He isn't friendly at all and why he goes to a dog park when he doesn't want his dog to play with others I don't know.

Also as an owner please just be aware and know whether your dog is playing well or isn't. It shouldn't be everyone else's responsibility when your dog is the one causing trouble.

Overall I...