Frick Park — Attraction in Pittsburgh

The state of Pennsylvania has a leash law for a reason, and I completely agree with it. Unless it is your fenced-in property or a designated off-leash zone, you must keep your dog on a leash. This is for the safety of people as well as other dogs. Can you imagine how runners must feel when your uncontrolled dog runs up to them or sprints after them? What if your dog runs up to someone who has a fear of dogs, feeds on that fear, and attacks them? What if your dog encounters another dog, on-leash or off-leash, and they don't get along? I read about a dog who was killed by another dog last year at this very Park.

It is very hard for me to show my dog, who lived for who knows how long in a shelter, that the outside world is a safe place. She was abandoned by her owners who had her for at least two years, and thrown into a stressful shelter environment with no veterinary staff available and nothing but barking dogs and small living quarters that may or may not have been kept routinely clean. She maybe got one or two very short walks a day, and no love, no attention, nothing to show her that she was worthy or deserved a family who loved her despite her flaws. Those of you who disobey the law because it is "inconvenient" for you to control your dog cause me to deny my dog the pleasure of hiking at Frick Park, which she enjoys so very much.

You prevent me from training my dog to feel safe around other dogs, you deny my dog, other dogs, and runners, walkers, and hikers a safe place to run and explore and have a nice time.

They make hands free leashes if it is too hard to hold onto, and Frick Park has a dog park. If you want to let your dog off-leash so badly, keep them home or take them to the dog park.

Please, for the sake of everyone, keep your...

Frick park is great, it has several playgrounds embedded in it, it has mountain biking, hiking, walking, bird spotting, and even a recreation area you can read some books in.

My only complaint is the dogs which I've heard from many people are not on a leash and owners have little awareness or care of what they are doing. I ride my bike through hear often and haven't had a lot of experiences but I have had a few that stunned me. Including one where the owner let her dog walk without a leash and the two of them took up the entire gravel path. As we approached one another she didn't try to get her dog to move so when I approached the dog startled and initially jumped directly in front of me to get on the offensive. I slammed on my brakes and the dog moved out of the way, not a word from the owner.

I'm glad I wasn't mountain biking because otherwise I'd be as frustrated as some friends have been. One told a story of a dog cowering as he nearly slammed into it while it was running freely on the mountain bike paths in the area.

If you want you dog off a leash take it to a dog park or at the very least take it to an area where there aren't paths or others around, and when doing so make sure you actually have awareness of your dog. Dogs are only supposed to be off leash in the dog parks, of which frick park has several.

Side note- hot dog park is a fun park for dogs who like getting wet but the dog park is the least secure dog park you'll find. If you dog is crafty or mischievous your dog...

Frick Environmental Education Center offers rambling, short, interconnected outdoor trails for young children and connects to the larger Frick Park trail system. There is an interesting water play area that flows when it rains with storm water cascading along a stairway. Inside, there are beautiful nature education and observation rooms with large windows with a view of the park. My favorite is a room for children to play, furnished with some adult seating, small climbers and a rocking chair with bookshelves filled with nature books, baskets full of nature blocks and items such as acorns and rocks for building, and other games and educational materials. Special events include naturalist led hikes where you can learn about the park and wildlife. One of my favorite events was a family friendly gathering to observe the eclipse.

Blue Side Playground at Frick Park is a fun place to take the kids to play. The paved walking trail is an easy path for strollers and bikes. The park is pet friendly, but I believe that dogs are supposed to be on leash on the trails and can go off leash in the fenced dog park area, which is a bit of a walk from the playground. If you have young kids that are apprehensive of dogs, it might not be the best trail for them, though the playground is conveniently located with street parking and quickly and easily accessible. The playground features play structures for the very young and for older...