The Great Bark Dog Park in Lafayette, Colorado: A Review

In April of 2007 the City of Lafayette Colorado opened a new off-leash park exclusively for its canine residents. It was an immediate hit with dogs and their owners. There are now dog park regulars whose pooch's play together on a regular basis. On a recent Saturday morning I decided to check out the dog park and see how things were fairing. I arrived at the same time as a dog park regular. She opened up her car door and two dogs immediately scampered out of the car and up to the entrance gate. One dog started pawing on the gate in anticipation. Upon opening, the dog took off to join his playmates. A stroll around the perimeter gravel loop trail produced a variety of observations.

The first thing I noticed was how clean the park is. No piles of dog poop lying around this park - on-trail or off-trail. Owners were actively picking up where their dogs dropped off. I found out later from a park regular that there is an active group of volunteers who have a weekly poop patrol.

All the owners at the park were actively monitoring their dog's behavior or playing with their dogs. Some dogs were running around as a group while others chose to play Frisbee with their owners. Dogs of different sizes and breeds were playing together. I found the dogs owners to be friendly and informative too.

The park facilities were extremely nice. The perimeter path was fine graveled and well maintained. There were a number of evenly spaced shelters with benches. All the shelters had water bowls. The park has a volunteer water jug exchange program so that dogs can have water readily available. Take a full jug of water at the entrance and use it to water your dog during your stay. Take it home, refill the jug, and bring it back on your next trip.

There were conveniently placed waste bag stations located throughout the park. Park users are asked to bring their old newspaper bags to restock these stations. The used waste bags can then be deposited at the dumpster in the parking lot.

The dog park is a generous 6-acre park. It gives dogs lots of room to run around off-leash. I did notice that the native grass and weeds seemed to be well over a foot tall. A park regular said that mowing was not performed on a regular basis and could get high at times. There was also a noticeable lack of trees in the park. Perhaps those will be added in the future.

The perimeter fencing consisted of two types of fence material. There is wooden split rail fencing surrounding the entire park. Attached to this split rail fencing is metal box fencing. This metal fencing starts at ground level and goes to the top of the split rail fencing. This will help keep free spirited pooch's from leaving the park. Inside the dog park boundary is a generously sized smaller fenced off park for small and timid dogs.

Humans are accommodated at the dog park too. Besides the shelters and benches, there is a handicap-accessible restroom. There is also an information station where people can post contact information about their dog-related business. The dog park Rules & Regulations are posted at the entrance.

I found the Great Bark Dog Park to be a very pleasant surprise. The Great Bark is a clean enjoyable place to bring your dog.

Pictures of my visit to The Great Bark Dog Park.

Great Bark Dog Park
597 N. 119th St.
Open all year.
Hours: 6 AM to 10 PM

http://www.cityoflafayette.com/page.asp?navid=1365