Swope Dog Park — Attraction in Kansas City

Not everybody knows how to handle dogs. Pretend you're the only one paying attention, because you might be. If you don't know how to read dog body language, don't come here. If you can't tell when your dog or another dog is uncomfortable, don't come here. Carry your leash with you at all times, you don't know when an aggressive dog could show up.

Witnessed people beat their dogs here. Witnessed dogs try to kill other dogs here.

These are mostly very rare occurrences though, (3 ish times in almost four years of coming here) so if you know how to handle dogs and you know when crap might go down, it's a good place to go. With proper handling and attention you will most likely never have a problem.

Community is mostly nice. Some can be judge-y, in a bad way.

E.G. Don't listen to the people with the morbidly obese, barely moving dogs when they yell at you to put more weight on your (very healthy) dog.

Take all advice with a grain of salt. Wear sturdy shoes. Make sure your dog has a reliable recall. Don't bring long-leads here to train, you'll be hated pretty fast. Don't put an extremely aggressive dog on a leash, then let it lunge at the unleashed dogs. On leash socializing is great, but please make sure your dog can at least walk on a leash first.

And for God's sake, don't let your dogs run in the parking lot. Also, be careful pulling in and out of and parking here. People let their dogs run in the parking lot.

Also, please don't bring your toddlers or un-dog educated...

There are two to choose from separated by a parking lot. One for smaller/older dogs and another large space for the rest. We only went to the larger of the two so my review is only covering that one. Most importantly, just past the two sets of gates to enter, there is a water fountain with a medium height for people to fill bowls, low for dogs to drink directly from, and a threaded spigot that was being used to fill a kiddie pool someone has left there. The area is well maintained, with a path around the perimeter and a couple smaller paths cutting across the woods. The wooded area has enough brush to be be interesting for a dog who wants to explore, but not so much that it gets in the way or cuts off a large or small dog's ability to choose an easy exit. Downhill from the entrance is a nice meadow. There are two picnic tables, one at the top of the hill and one just inside the woods, both have nice shade. The park lost one star for not being as well maintained as a some of the others in the metro area and not having bags in any of the receptacles in the larger of...

I am sorry to say that my first visit to the swope park dog park was a depressing one. At six a. m. I was the only one at the dog park. By seven a m five other cars had pulled into the lot, Each car had multiple dogs with them. None of those people leashed any of their animals before they let them out of the car. One of the elderly gentlemen there let his 120 pound dog crap on the sidewalk outside of the run. And then left it there. He did not pick up after his dog. Another elderly gentleman let two of his dogs poop inside the run and he did not clean up after his dogs. Another woman there with 2 dogs, one of them vicious and trying to fight with all the other dogs.When she was confronted, she said and I quote.Oh, that's okay.Just let them fight instead of obeying the rules and controlling her animal and getting it out of there. It is a real shame that these places can't be used by people who obey the rules because of inconsiderate rude people who think the rules do not apply to them. I see it everyday in our society and I...