Dog Parks in Bergen County

One thing you should know about Bergen County is that it really is very dog friendly. We have 5 dog parks here run by the County Government located in Leonia, Lyndhurst, Ridgewood, Wallington & Woodcliff Lake. As a result, no matter where you are in Bergen County, you're no more than a 20-30 minute drive to a dog park. I take my dog, Samantha, to the Woodale County Park on Prospect Avenue in Woodcliff Lake and it's wonderful.

If you've ever had a boxer, then you'll know they are high energy dogs. Our boxer, Samantha, absolutely loves going to the dog park and we take her there every day. She has a great time and not only learns socialization but also works off a lot of that energy.

Actually, going to a dog park was something I didn't even know about until recently. My son rescued a very sick and emaciated boxer puppy 1 year ago and Samantha came into our life. Never having a dog before, I had no idea that taking her out for long walks wouldn't be enough until a friend who is a dog owner told me to take her to a dog park. So, I learned about dog parks and discovered Woodale County Park.

It's a terrific place - there are bathroom facilities next to the dog park for humans and pick up bag dispensers for the dogs. There's also a cold water faucet (weather permitting) for keeping the pups hydrated and everyone takes turns filling up the water bowls that are there. The only thing that this dog park needs is a 2nd section for small dogs. Small dog runs as well as large dog runs exist at both Leonia and Ridgewood. Hopefully there will be more in the future.

Going to a dog park is a lot of fun. Smantha even recognizes the drive up to the park and you should see how excited she gets once we turn into the park lane. Woodale is a very well designed park - the driving lane is a one way horseshoe that goes around a very pretty lake in the middle. There are 2 parking lots and the one at the back of the park is right next to the dog park so it's extremely convenient. If you go there, you'll find that it's also a very welcoming community of responsible dog owners. I can tell you that as a 1st time dog owner, I couldn't have made it without the support and encouragement I received from the people there. It's simply a great group. You'll find people there from all walks of life with quite a variety of age groups; don't be surprised if you make many new friends. I know I have.

For directions to the County Parks where there are dog runs, go to the following link where you'll find a list of the dog parks and a link lower down on the page for directions: http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/Parks/DogRuns.html