Happy Valley Off Leash Dog Park

One star mostly to try and balance all the 5 star reviews that I think this dog park specifically doesn't deserve. If taken out of that context, I'd probably give it a 2 or 3? Seems fine for people with large or medium dogs, but this is genuinely one of the worst "small dog" dog parks I have ever come across. There are three separate fenced off areas: One for large dogs, one for any size, and one designated for small dogs. The large dog area seems appropriately large and mainly covered with grass. Every time we visit, there are almost always quite a few dogs there. The any size area is much smaller. It looks like it used to have grass, but these days it's mostly packed earth. Sometimes there's one or two dogs in there, but it really doesn't seem to get much use. Neither of those are awful. It's really the small dog area that's the issue. For some reason beyond my understanding, they've chosen to fill the small dog area not with grass or packed earth, but with a thick layer of large wood chips. I'm not posting any photos with this review, but you're welcome to look at photos included with others to see what I mean. Now, my dog is SMALL. He's barely over 8lbs of dog, which is why we only visit dog parks with areas designated for SMALL dogs only. It's not the he doesn't get along with bigger dogs (though that certainly is a concern for many others seeking a small dog park, which is part of why the "any size" section is not a solution to this problem). For a dog his size, romping around with large dogs is a serious hazard, especially if we don't already know those dogs and even if those dogs are friendly. He could get trampled! I've had bad encounters here before. We once tried to settled for the "any size" section instead, only for someone with a very large, very rowdy puppy to join us there. My 8lb dog is not the right tutor to teach your 70lb puppy not to cross other dogs' boundaries! But, of course, it was the "any size" dog area, so the only thing we could do about to was leave. It just sucks. When every inch of the small dog area is covered with wood chips that are bigger than his legs, it essentially renders the entire park unusable. I guess that's probably why there's almost never anybody else there when we try to visit. Even when the park is packed with visitors, this small dog park is empty. If I try to bring him in anyway to run around and play fetch off leash for a bit, he doesn't last long. He just doesn't have any fun trying to run across a ground that CLEARLY isn't designed for small dogs. The wood chips might be easier for larger dogs to run across, but even then it still wouldn't be the ideal terrain for any dog park. Y'all realize dogs poop in here, right? Imagine trying to pick up a fresh pile of turds stuck to a bunch of massive wood chips. I have no idea whose idea this was or why they've stuck with it for so long (it's been like this for at least six years now), but it's such a terrible design for a small dog park that I'm genuinely astounded they have any five star reviews at all. What makes it extra frustrating is that everything else about the rest of this park seems so well maintained and thoughtfully designed! It feels like they just don't care about putting the same amount of effort into this one single space for some reason. It's like someone hired their toddler as the project manager and didn't bother to give them any feedback before carrying out their plans. Or like someone who hates small dogs also had a ton of wood chips they wanted to put to waste. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to keep making the trip up to Normandale Park instead. It's a further drive and doesn't offer as much walking space, but at least we can actually USE that park, and there are often other people using it too.

PROS: -Good variety of grass and bark chips -Water, trash, and bags in each area, with bowls -Seating with coverage in each area -Very well maintained as well as in the park outside of the fenced dog areas -Unique door latches that are easier to use with hands full CONS: -None NEUTRALS: -Designated small dog area -Inside of a larger park with paths -No path around each area -3 separate areas -Flyer has information about a Facebook group that was fairly active with multiple meetings when we looked

Spacious park with walking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms, and three large fenced-in dog areas with water. Large, small, and mixed. Trails go through the wetlands. Google has the entrances wrong. It's not off King Rd. And it has its own road at entrance with parking inside the park.

Simply put the off leash section of the over all park is just “a place” to safely take your dog off leash. There are 2 separate small fenced dog area’s approximately 100ftx200ft. They are located a short walk from the parking lot located in the SW corner of Happy Valley Nature Park. Water, poop bags and benches provided. It’s a great place to go to get some energy burned off the pups if you’re in the area. My dog quickly ran the fence perimeter to look for holes and gaps. He was unable to find any. The dog park was free of any trash or debris. However I would certainly not go out of my way to travel here from outside the neighborhood just for the dog park experience itself. Happy Valley Nature Park as a whole is a totally different story. There are 1,500+ Google reviews on the Park’s entirety. Those reviews can be viewed by clicking on the “Happy Valley Nature Park” on Google. I did not explore the rest of the park.

Very nice park! And a nice off-leash dog play area with covered benches. If you come from the back side, not the photos of where the path/entrance is. In Sept 2021 there wasn’t a sign (although there was clearly a hole for one).