Southside Works Dog Park — Attraction in Pittsburgh

A great idea in theory, but there are many many flaws. The first flaw is, it seems that 50% of the people who brought their dogs here are not responsible dog owners, and just though “oh this new park is close to me, so I’m sure it will be fine” or “oh there’s beer being sold, I’m sure my dog will be fine”, when they own aggressive dogs. I’ve lived in southside for almost two years and taken my dog to the “old” dog park and in two years, there have maybe been two instances were an aggressive dog has entered the grounds and caused a scene. Within 30 minutes, I could not count how many times there were aggressive dogs going after dogs with clueless owners not knowing how to control their animals. The second problem, is that the actual part that connects the dog park to the brewery food truck part is completely backwards. Every other entrance to the dog park requires two gates as is typical in a dog park, but there’s a gate to get from the big dog park to get to the closed in brewery section that is NOT double gates, but not only that, there is another gate that allows people from the outside to enter the brewery area that is also not double gated. This is completely unsafe for dogs because it is a very real possibility (and we saw this happen, just thankfully no dogs escaped) that both gates are open at the same time and a dog could very easily escape.

Long story short, it’s extremely chaotic, with irresponsible dog owners, unsafe for dogs and honestly just not worth having a beer or two while watching your dog try and maneuver around open gates and...

A year ago, this place was great. But now, it clearly shows a lack of maintenance—it feels almost abandoned. There’s mud everywhere, and where there used to be grassy areas, it’s just dirt now. Since the heavy rain and wind last season, the wood chips have never been replaced, so the park stays extremely muddy.

Two recurring issues with park users: many dog owners don’t pick up after their pets (even though there are plenty of bag stations always stocked), and some people use the dog water fountain area to give their dogs a full-on bath.

It’s a shame, because this used to be one of the best spots...

The dog park is always being used and is well-maintained although the dog bags could be refilled a little more often. Always see people here using the dog park especially on the weekends when they are doing events with pins mechanical company across the street and Hollywood feed on the other side of Southside Works...