Walnut Grove Park Dog Park — Attraction in Madison

I experienced a HORRIBLE situation today (August 6th, 2019) at this dog park: I was asked to leave the park by a young Park Ranger.

This is my first time to Madison. I drove all the way from Moline (Illinois) for a job interview. My elderly sick mom came with me along with my American Leopard dog. Before returning home, and after the interview, I decided to visit this park, as I found its description on Google maps. There were three owners that were leaving the park as I, carrying my mom's arm on one side and my dog on the other were making the uphill trek to the park. Immediately, as we were entering the Park Ranger asked me directly if I had a paid pass (?). I said that I was out of town and that I didn't. He told me that I had to leave. As I was exiting I asked the young Park Ranger why he didn't ask the three dog owners that were leaving the park that very same question, if they also had a paid pass, his response was that they were not ON the park. Afterwards, when I asked if he asks every person that comes to the park that question, his response was that he can read it on the tag (??) meaning that he didn't.

This is not ALL! As we were leaving, he followed us behind. As I entered my car and took a few minutes setting navigation on my phone, the Park Ranger parked behind us waited until we left, to start driving behind us!

I have an accent, I was born in Argentina but naturalized as American some 20 years ago after many hardships. As an American, I felt harrasassed by this person who came very close to sounded like a racist. I felt disgust and now carry a bad impression with my first visit to such a beautiful city as...

Closest dog park to my home, so I go there frequently.

Good points:

No mud puddles. The most heavily trafficked lawn (closest to the entrance), which was more than half bare earth, has been removed & replaced with gravel. Even after a rain, this section is no longer muddy & messy. Great improvement from 2017. There are a few trees, which provides some shade on a hot summer day. The other people who come to the park are as friendly as those at the other parks. Dog owners there may be a little better about cleaning up after their dogs. It's small enough that you can see your dog at all times, even if you're sitting at one of the picnic tables.

Bad:

It's a small, boring little park. The grass doesn't get cut as often as the rest of Walnut Grove park. Harder to pick up the poop.

Many of the photos are from the 2nd All Breeds Dog Party, which was held on...

I've been taking my dog here on a regular basis for about a year. The regulars are super nice and respectful of the rules. They have even jumped in to help me out when my dog was getting ganged up on. Also Madison parks does a great job of managing this park. I've seen them come by to take the trash and refill the dog bags. They are super nice. One employee came with treats for the dogs. Once they came by to check dog tags. Beware as with all dog parks not everyone follows the rules and some dogs are aggressive. I leave right away when...