Saber Reviews: Grandview Dog Park, Seatac WA

Hi again! I am back with another dog park review for you, and this was a great one. Grandview Dog Park in Seatac, near Kent, is a HUGE dog park: 37 acres! There is something for everybody here (except cats). You will love it!

Here is the view of the entrance from the parking lot. You can see that there is not actually a closing gate here, although the park is fenced. So you do have to be a good puppy and not run off. I am a good puppy so my Mom can take me here.

Really, it is such a huge park with so much to do that you'll forget all about that open entrance! There is a porta-potty for your humans right there inside the fence, see? And all through the park there are poop bag stations with poop bags for your Mom so she can collect your poop. I am not sure what Mom does with all my poop, but I must be very special because she never leaves it behind. She must have a massive poop collection somewhere, but I have never seen it. She sure does love me a lot!

After you go through the entrance, there is this big gravel path that goes all around the park. Your family can walk on it while you run free and sniff!

After awhile, the path winds around and down to a lower area with lots of space, trees, and grass.

There is even a big pavilion with picnic tables! Mom was in awe of the "grand view" as we came around the corner. I must agree I do look stunning. Also please note Mount Rainier in the background.

Once you get down to the bottom of the path, there is a great big "all weather play area" that supposedly does not get muddy in bad weather. Darn.

But look! I found a Chuck-It Person! If there is a Chuck-It Person in a 37 acre park, I will find them!

After a rousing game of fetch-someone-else's-ball, Mom took me over to this area: agility equipment! Very cool!

There is an A-frame, a dog walk, some tires, jumps, and weave poles. I love agility. I am, in fact, somewhat of an agility expert. I will have to tell you about that sometime. But it was a very hot day and I was getting tired from our long walk, so I just did the A-Frame a few times.

After that, it was time to go. There are some nice stairs to get back up to the entrance area, so we didn't have to walk all the way back up that long path. This is a great park! I hope we can go back again sometime soon. I highly recommend it!

Saber Reviews: Norm and Nellie Byrd Dog Park, Yakima WA

You may remember that way back in August, Mom took me coursing in Enumclaw. On the way there, we stopped at a few different dog parks to try them out. I wanted to share what I thought of each one, so here's the first in a series of four new dog park reviews! I know you're excited, so let's get started!

The first park we stopped at was the Norm and Nellie Byrd Off-Leash Dog Park in Yakima. It's a fenced area within the Sherman Memorial Park and the parking lot is right beside the Humane Society. It was kind of hard for Mom to find, but if you take the Nob Hill exit and go right, then left on South 24th and left again at the T in the road, you'll find it. Just park near the Humane Society and walk across the field to the dog park. Here is the entrance:

The park is double gated, has trash cans, a bench, and a picnic table. It's actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be; I'd guess between one and two acres. It's smaller than our home dog park, but still nice and a great place to stop and run or play a game of fetch on the way to Seattle! There are plenty of shade trees and lots of grass to sniff.

There's even a cute little wooden bridge over a dry ditch. This was fun to run back and forth on and I loved running through the ditch, too! I wonder if it gets muddy when it rains? That would be even better!

In all the pictures, you can see the fencing around the park. That should give you an idea of the park's size.

All in all, we liked this park for a stop on our long drive. It was nice to get out and stretch our legs a bit. It's a bit small, and there were no other dogs here, but we'll still come again sometime if we happen to be passing through Yakima.

Smell ya later!

Saber Reviews the Dakota Memorial Dog Park, Vancouver, WA

Hi again! I am so excited to share this review of my very favorite dog park adventure so far. This time, we visited Dakota Memorial Dog Park in Vancouver, Washington. This dog park is huge! It's a fully fenced 8-acre off leash dog area within Pacific Park, which my Mom says is an awesome human park in itself. But more on the human park later. Here is the double-gated entry to the dog park:

See how nice the fencing is? And the grass is nicely maintained as well as the paved areas. Poop bags, trash bags, wide open space, shade trees, and a great walking path all await you at this park. What more could a dog ask for?

STICKS!!! Trying to figure out how to fetch this one...

"Excuse me Mr. Pit-bull-type Dog, but I am afraid you will lose your balance when I pick up this stick in my mouth, so could you please remove yourself from my stick?"

"What's that?? You want to play?? Sure!"

That was fun. Then it was time for some fetching! Lots of room to run here.

I found someone with a Chuck-It and an Australian Shepherd! See that herding breed focus?? We had a blast together! Notice the long winding path beneath the trees behind us. The humans liked that.

I got to run and play with my Girl, too (yes, kids are allowed here!)

There's also fresh clean water for everyone! I loved this fountain. (Mr. Beagle, really. Do you mind?)

Just steps outside the dog park, there is a large, clean human rest room, a big field for kids to play sports in, a huge parking lot, a gigantic pavilion with picnic tables and a really nice playground for the human kids! I got to lie in the shady grass and watch my Girl play for awhile.

Mom and I agree this is the best dog park we have visited yet! We definitely will come back to this one. Next time we will bring a picnic lunch and stay for hours! I can hardly wait!

For more information, directions, and maps for dog parks in the Portland area (including Vancouver), check out this fantastic site: Portland Dog Parks. As you can see, we still have plenty of visiting to do!



Saber Does Portland, OR: Chimney Park Dog Park Review

Here we are at Chimney Park in North Portland, Oregon. This is my second time visiting this park and both times we had lots of fun!

This is a fully fenced dog park that's about five and a half acres of wide open space! It's mostly flat and grassy with a few trees here and there. Don't I look pretty with the blue chicory?

There's a great walking path all around this park and all the people and dogs we met were super nice! There is no water, but there are poop bags and a trash can and lots of shade.

Here you can see how the park is divided into two sections by a section of fence (but no gates). The path goes through the fence opening and you can see the chicory in the distance. There is a grassy field over there, but on this side there is a mown lawn and shade trees, perfect for a game of fetch or some good ol' fashioned sniffing. The whole park is very clean and well maintained.

See how nice and long the walking path is? Great exercise for your human, and the terrain is fairly flat, too.

I had fun at this park and we'll come back someday! However, my Mother made me sit in the patch of pokey ivy just outside the park, which was not fun.

(What is the point of this, Mom? The dog park is over there!)

Coming up next: My favorite dog park adventure of all time!

Saber Does Vancouver, WA: Ross Dog Park Review

It's me, Saber! I'm home from a nice trip down to Oregon with my Mom and my Girl. They had the nerve to leave me at a kennel for a few hours while they went to a concert, can you believe it? I tried to climb the fence to come find them, but the dog-care person stopped me. I was a little offended that my humans went to a dog-free venue, but since they took me to many dog parks and other canine-friendly spots on this trip, I will let it go. This time.

Anyway, Mom took me to this new (to me) dog park in Vancouver, Washington (just across the river from Portland, Oregon) called Ross Park. Check it out, what a hill!

From the top:

The parking lot is down at the bottom of the hill, along with a bulletin board, poop bags, and a trash bin. I got lots of exercise running up and down this steep hill!

This park is about 8 acres and is totally fenced. There wasn't any water, and there weren't a lot of benches (just one on this side of the hill) but there is a nice bark-covered walking path all around the perimeter. Apparently there is a bigger area on the other side of this hill, but we didn't go there this time. There weren't too many people and dogs here so we were a little bored. I did explore, lay in the shade and fetch my Frisbee in the open grassy field for awhile. Lots of space!

I did find one friend about my size to play with!

I'd say this is a good park to go to if you like to run in open spaces or walk around with your human. I wish there were more dogs though! If your human does not like to hike up steep hills, park in the lot on the other side of the park (I think it is at the southwest corner of the park). Next time we come we will explore the other side of the park, which I hear is much larger!

Saber Does Spokane: High Bridge Dog Park Review

Hi there. This is Saber. My Mom has been too busy to update my blog lately, so I thought I'd tell you about my latest adventure: Spokane, Washington!

We drove to Spokane last month for a Lure Coursing trial, which was great fun, but the real highlight of the trip was visiting one of my favorite dog parks: SpokAnimal's High Bridge Dog Park. We've been there many times before, but this time my Mom took some pictures to show you the park (and my beautiful self, of course).

The park is open and flat in the center and is surrounded by lots of trees, foliage, and fields to romp in. Just look at all that space!

The entire area is fenced with chain link and there are plenty of chairs and picnic tables for your humans to lounge on. The big dog area is about 6.5 acres, and the small dog area is about one acre. Big dogs rule!

See that huge hill behind me? There is a trail up and down that hill for you and your human to hike! It's a nice little forest and I loved exploring here.

The best part of going to dog parks is making new friends... especially if they have Chuck-Its! Here I am with a nice male German Shepherd friend I met. Notice our intense focus, unlike the silly Boxer in the foreground.

There was plenty of water at this park, left in jugs next to water bowls. There are also poop bags at the gate, a trash can, and a double-gated entry. The parking lot is close to the entrance, too.

All in all, the High Bridge Dog Park gets two paws up! We'll be back!

Saber at the Riverfront Park big wagon slide, Spokane, WA.

Saber Does Dog Parks

In her down time, Saber likes to run and play at off-leash dog parks. Whenever we travel, we try to stop and visit different dog parks and make new friends. But Saber's favorite park is the one right here at home.

Freedom!!!

Hanging with the local pack:

The nice thing about our dog park is that many of the same people and dogs frequent the park at the same times each day. So on any given day we can predict many of the dogs who will be there, and Saber knows them and loves to play with them. There's quite a large fenced area: a couple of acres of open space to run and chase and just be a dog.

Saber's been coming to the dog park since she was five months old. She's known most of her 'friends' since then. Bitey faces!

I do not use tennis balls at home, but they always seem to be lying around the dog park. Saber enjoys this, even though I am not a fan.

Frisbees are fun, too.

In the spring and fall, Saber and I were going to the local dog park about four times a week, but in the summer when school's out we rarely go because kids are not allowed inside. We do go to dog parks that allow kids when we travel, and I will be sharing pictures of the various dog parks Saber gets to visit.

One last fun thing Saber does: the Pooch Plunge. The Dog Park Society holds this fun event every September and it is a blast! There is a temporary dog park fenced off in a different city park that includes a big wading pool. We had so much fun last year and we can't wait to go again!