Oh Sue, you are so right.  We visited 15 national parks and monuments in our six months on the road.  We avoided the ones where dogs cannot exit the car.  Yellowstone was the only exception, I didn't want bear trouble.  I did see two grizzlies while there and was glad Drake was safely behind the windows of my car.  Unfortunately, although I couldn't miss Yellowstone completely, I was not able to hike or take any trails longer than 10 minutes away.  But, my opinion of a "dog park", if that's what you really want, is in the wild, beautiful, wide open spaces of our country.  ROAD TRIP!

Good One YR! LOL I tried parking my dog once, and wouldn't you know it, he got a ticket when he peed on the meter pole.

BEETREE,You should have put a quarter in the meter.

I am a dog groomer and got a call last week  to cancel of one of my appointments. One of my favorite dogs was mauled and killed by a loose dog at a park. The owner of the dog who attacked, was standing there with the dog's leash over his shoulder.
My clients has a $1500 vet bill to pay (for their DEAD dog) and cannot find the owners of the other dog to be compensated.
This was at a park with a LEASHED dog-only sign. So imagine the madness of a "dog park."

Dog parks are a great place for accidents to happen.

Stacy

I doubt there is such a thing as a "good" dog park...where all dogs are well-behaved and get along with ALL other dogs, where owners are responsible and have control over their dogs, where all dogs are well-cared for and don't have fleas or ticks or any kind of contagious disease or health issue. I, at one time, foolishly used to take my dog to a dog park, but no more! Many of the owners at these parks are idiots. A few examples: My dog, who is spayed, was being humped by a sex-crazed Keeshond whose owner just sat and watched as I tried to pulling him off off my dog and attempted to leave the park to just to get my dog away from him.  My dog was aggressively approached by 2 Pitbulls, whose owner did nothing, but fortunately my dog is non-confrontational and she walked away. My dog got fleas every time we went there. Then there was the dog with mange running around playing with the other dogs. My friend's Siba Inu was attacked by a pack of dogs there and she hasn't been the same since- she is VERY defensive now. My other friend's dog got conjuntivitis there. And, God only knows what lies in the soil there with all the dogs pooping. I could tell you more, but simply put, dog parks are NOT good places to take your dog!  BTW, neither I or any of my friends take our dogs there anymore. We do get together and have our own play dates though.
Char

2. ANSWER:   FEED RAW MEETS

USE  EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL    ON FOOD  or  KRILL OIL

feed    2 x a day....rub it on his elbows or nose or inside ears and tummy..

People use it for BALD HEADS,    DRY SKIN
 AND TO COOK WITH

ONLY     XTRA   VIRGIN              http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/07/23/krill-oil-48x-better-than-fish-oil/

I take our fellow to a dog park once or twice a month. We have never had a bad experience! It is very clean (pu bags are provided), and is divided into two parts - when the grass starts to get worn on one side, it is closed off to recover, and we all move to the second area. That way the dogs always have a nice surface to run on. The people who come there are great -  and the dogs get along. We have had a few guys show up who were a little cranky - for what ever reason - but the owners removed them, so the situation wasn't allowed to escalate.

There are other places near Denver (such as Chatfield State Park) which have off leash areas and which people report are good to go to - so I think to summarily dismiss ALL dog parks is wrong. There are good ones out there, but perhaps it depends on where you live. Leash laws in Denver are very strict - animal control officers patrol the parks regularly, and the fines are steep if you are caught. So I for one cherish our little dog park, it gives my boy a chance to kick up his heels without getting a ticket!