Bush Central Barkway — Attraction in Richardson

Perhaps my expectations were higher than they shouldve been but, from the rating, I was anticipating a canine shangri-la. It IS winter so, things are a bit more stark than pictured. I accept that. Here is my, off-the-cuff, pro/con list.

Pros: *4 enclosures (senior/disabled/low energy, small, large and large) *fairly clean (i still stepped in poo, so did my girl, so did my dogs...) *well maintained restrooms on site *it's new so, the fences arent rusted, the signage is unmolested, etc. *don't know if this should count but, it's a great/novel(to my mind) use of neglected space. (the other side of the hwy is a park and ride. Well done, richardson) *seating is provided in the form of a pile of rocks and a slab of rock.

Cons: *all enclosures are much smaller than I'm use to(they are adequate but, smaller than expected) *it's rather stark without trees and only a pile of rocks and overpass supports to break up the expanse of what I presume is grass in the warmer months. (i like/like my dogs to explore. There was little to explore) *the water fountains did not work(thus, if you want your dog/s to stay hydrated, you must plan ahead) *no walking path(IME most dog owners just mill/sit around and talk amongst themselves. Seating is probably insufficient but, exists. I dont like to stand around; I like to walk around... And step in poo, evidently)

To be clear, all the cons are things I think should/could be addressed/included... Not "owners don't pick up theyre dogs poop" which, if you take your dog to the dog park, you probably do(dogs poop without owners noticing sometimes{or, after retrieving the seldom needed 3rd bag, one can't find the droppings}; it happens) . They could/should've planted trees. The overpass doesn't shade the area like I expected from reading reviews. You won't be required to sit in the sun but, there is certainly enough light for trees. The enclosures could/should've definitely been bigger. Qualifier: all the areas can be unified. There are internal gates that would allow the 2 large dog areas to become 1(with a bottleneck). If this were the case, I retract this con. Obviously the small and sedentary dogs require less space. The water fountains should definitely work. A walking path could've been included instead of, or in addition to, the sandbox of crushed granite at the entrance and at the far ends of the areas. The heavily trodden area at the entrance should be(and is) crushed granite as grass wouldn't survive. Having been to a many dog parks in a few cities, I get that. I have also become accustomed to certain luxuries and come to accept certain inadequacies, I guess. I'm probably just a pedantic snob... But, I'm a snobby pedant that loves...

It is great that there is now a dog park just a couple of minutes from my residence. I have only experienced one problem with the park; the small dog area is not really big enough for the large breed puppies who just want to run. I was constantly hoping that my little girl would not loose footing while playing and smack into the benches or highway pillars. People often take their super small/slow/old dogs into the small area, when they should be taking them to the "slow dog" area. With that, my puppy had to graduate a little early to the large dog area (as many others I have seen), and she is extra happy to have so much space to dart around. I have yet to see anyone use the "reserved" area, which makes me wonder why it could not have just been a larger small dog area. Oh, well...there are other places out there.

People who do not want to train or clean up behind their dogs properly are everywhere. You will probably find the occasional pile of poop or the dog that does not understand the "time out" signals, but that comes with the owners.

I also wish that the trail would connect to the park, so I would not have...

Great big area for your dog big or small to run around, they have also separate areas depending on size. Just PLEASE be careful when bringing your pet in if he/she is reactive to other dogs as i had an incident 2 weeks ago where my pittie girl Chula was attacked for walking past the other dog(literally)and the owner had no idea how to react or even handle her dog at that time, and mind you this dog had just come in the park and was already trying to jump onto people already there, luckily nobody was injured but like i said this is something that i wish upon no-one as it can be traumatizing not only for the dog but for the owner too. Just please be mindful and train recalls to your dog before bringing them in to a whole new environment with other dogs too. But overall i have had no issued beside this instance since i have been coming here since the beginning...