Dog Park Review: Jasper’s Dog Park

This weekend we had the chance to visit Jasper’sDogPark, the first (and so far only) off leash area in the city ofKirkland, which lies just across Lake Washington fromSeattle. We have friends who live in Kirkland who have often traveled to the dog parks near us for meet ups, so we thought it only fitting that this time we be the ones to drive.

The Infrastructure Jasper’s is less than a year old. It’s tucked away in an area of office parks with warehouses and small offices. The parking lots all have signs that there is no parking for the dog park. Luckily, on a Sunday afternoon, street parking was pretty ample. Right now, there is a very narrow path from the street to the park- narrow enough that there is a sign asking people to take turns on the path. However, it appears that the city is currently working on a wider trail (that will also provide them with vehicle access) to the area.

Because it’s so new, the fence is still in very good shape. It’s probably around 5’ high- I didn’t measure, but what I remember was that it wasn’t taller than me, but it was definitely high enough that I wasn’t concerned about Larry trying to jump it. I’m not saying he couldn’t have jumped it if he tried (he can jump to my head height), but that it was tall enough that he wouldn’t think about doing so without serious encouragement. And despite being tucked away in a greenbelt, there were no squirrels or birds around to tempt him to do so.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of wood chips. Right now, that makes the ground a little slippery and hides unevenness- which caused C to slip and twist an ankle (not really hurting himself, he ankles are made of jello). Howie also had one slip that I really noticed. However, it should also mean that when the winter rains get here, the ground will not be one giant mud hole.

There was a decent sized Small Dog Area with its own entrance off the air lock. While we were there, no one was using that area. The main area was filled with dogs of all sizes. (Ours were not the smallest, and an 8 month old Great Dane entered as we were leaving.)

In terms of grounds, the only major issue with the place is that there is no running water. I don’t know if the city plans to change that or not. Luckily, another family had brought a gallon of water and a bowl that they were happy to let be communal.

The Rules Jasper’s is maintained by a local community organization. While not as big as S.O.D.A., the group responsible for maintaining the area’s two largest dog parks, they were vocal enough to get the city of Kirkland to create its first off leash area. However, they are also a little more- I’m not certain of a good word here –big brotherish than other organizations. I don’t mind rules that say “no shock collars”, but their sign says that no negative training aids are allowed (again, I’m okay with this), but then they lump harnesses in with shock and prong collars, with the note that says that dogs should be well socialized before visiting the park.

Go ahead and re-read that part. Harnesses are lumped in with negative training aids. Yes, we use the Wonder Walker which can be configured to help prevent pulling, but not in a way that causes any pain. Most people I know see harnesses as a boon to their dogs, safer for their dogs, as it prevents pulling against the collar, and they also make it easier to catch your dog at the end of the day, when your dog wants to play keep away. (Or am I the only one whose dogs love that game?)

My friend who lives nearby has in the past talked to one of the members of the group responsible for the park, and his reasoning was not that harnesses are negative training aids but that they are a safety hazard. Apparently the fear is that one dog could get caught in another dog’s harness. As an abstract, I can understand, but in real life, I’ve seen tons of dogs play (or have more serious interactions) without ever seeing one get caught in another’s harness.

Still, we had been warned about that rule ahead of time by our friends, so we decided not to put a harness on Howie at all and just use his collar, even though we have recently switched to an easy on/easy off Wonder Walker for him. Taking the harnesses off when we first arrived was a little more work than just unclipping the leash, but not that big a deal. Getting Larry and June’s harnesses back on when it was time to leave was a little more difficult, but that’s where duck treat comes in handy.

The Doggy Experience This is really the most important criteria for a dog park for us. I can remember to bring water and follow non-standard rules, but if it’s not an overall good experience for the dogs, then there’s no point. Jasper’sDogPark, however, was an excellent doggy experience.

It is big enough that there’s plenty of room for a dog like Larry to run.

The bark ground covering gave June just what she needed to make her quick cuts and escapes when being chased by a yellow Lab.

There were enough trees and ground cover to give the dogs something to sniff and exercise their brains.

It was small enough, and open enough that Howie got to be off leash the entire time.

And that’s the real winner there. Howie very much wants to be explorer dog, but at our two normal parks, WestCrest andGrandview, that can’t happen because the parks are too big and there are too many areas where he could go that we couldn’t get to him due to ground cover. At Jasper’s, there was pretty nowhere where we couldn’t spot him, and certainly no where we couldn’t get to him within 30 seconds if we had to (the very small seating area for people is in the center of the park).

He had so much freedom and had so much fun exploring that we were a little worried about him being sore that night or the next day, but he wasn’t.

All three dogs had a great time and ran themselves a little more ragged than they do on a normal dog park trip. Which is certainly a win for us.

The Verdict In all honesty, the biggest negative to Jasper’s is that it is a half hour drive for us. That means that it’s not going to become one of our go to parks. Still, I can easily see us going there once or twice a month on weekends to meet up with our friends who live in the area.