Blanche Park

Several weeks ago when taking my partner's dog out for some exercise, I decided to bring the lil' guy here to run off some steam, rather than to the park we usually visit. We liked it here at Blanche Park so much that we've returned a few times since.

Blanche Park isn't large and is split into 2 sections; One part is a fenced in, well-maintained playground for children, and the other section is a dog park for canines of all sizes. IMO, this seems to be a really nice facility overall compared with most other area dog parks. The first thing one notices when approaching is that there's a basket of tennis balls, knotted ropes and other toys for any dog using this park to share. Upon entering, you see nice packed mulch paths for the humans, and a low artificial grassy turf covering the entire place that looks much like a putting green, though they did leave 1 area in the back corner with a patch of natural grass. There are plenty of benches for the humans, a rounded, elevated hill in the center, and the people who bring their dogs here seem friendly and outgoing for the most part. Blanche park is also outfitted with a water fountain for both the dogs and their humans, and several poop bag dispensers and trash cans.

The only critical comments I'd have are: 1) Since this is a park for dogs of all sizes, some of the larger ones can get a bit aggressive, and in some cases their owners refuse to do the responsible thing and simply take their aggressive animals home or train them properly. 2) I've seen a number of people come here and sit on a bench to read or become enthralled with their smart phones, while their dogs simply run free with no supervision on their part. That also means that, when they take a dump, the owner pays no notice and doesn't pick it up. Did I mention the entire surface of this place is mulch or artificial turf, meaning the poop sits on the top of the surface? 3) One evening when I came here, we were nearly the last to leave before it closed - yet there were only 2 open parking spaces. IMO, if they've got a number of parking spaces intended for people coming to this park, they should enforce that. As it is, it seems people living in this area take them for no-cost parking.