Willow Park Dog Park - OPEN HOUSE September 21!!

I previously lived in Spanish fork and they recently had completed their dog park. They split it in half with a fence so only one side was open at a time while the other side could take a break from all the dogs running. It helped keep it SO nice. They also put in a small agility course on one side for the dogs. I love what you have done but the splitting in half I highly recommend from what I have seen of other dog parks

- No pavilion with picnic tables. Instead, provide more bench seating around the park in the shade
- More shade!
- Small dog area fenced off from large/mixed dog area
- No water feature (dogs get muddy or sick)
- sod is better than dirt
- double gate entrance/exit
- plenty of cleanup stations

I’ve been to several dog parks in the area and have some recommendations:
1. No water feature, please!!! They are fun for the dogs, but so messy! Also, they are prone to giardia and I know several people whose dogs have gotten sick after playing in one. The Draper one has signs up warning about this, but no way to prevent the dogs from playing in it if you don’t want them to.
2. If you have dirt areas and sod areas, plus a water feature, the sod will get destroyed. Having all sod is actually more likely to maintain a clean environment than a combination, as long as you make sure it is not overwatered. See the new Herriman City dog park that is completely covered in sod. It is so nice and clean, and it stays much cooler in the summer.
3. Don’t get those combination people drinking fountains with dog bowls at the bottom. Those things are always broken! Get some pumps for the dogs’ drinking water and have a separate drinking fountain for people outside the fence.
4. I really like the canopy shades with Adirondack chairs at the new Herriman park. Much nicer than a bench! Make sure to scatter seating throughout the park, not just at the entrance.
5. Include a rack for people to hang their leashes on near the entrance.

Thank you! I’m excited for this to be done!

I am a local veterinarian that has some extra training in animal behavior. I have quite a few opinions about a dog park. First of all, current vaccines especially rabies must be required. A distemper combination as well as kennel cough are a must. There needs to be an accurate and efficient way to keep track of the dogs’ vaccine status. A suggestion of flea/tick/heart worm prevention should also be highly encouraged. There needs to be control of standing water to prevent spread of giardia which is very common in this area. There needs to be two separate areas for larger and smaller dogs with separate entrances. You could also could consider a “safe” area for dogs that are scared of or have anxiety around other dogs, similar to a time-out place for autistic children that get over stimulated. There should also be zero tolerance for aggressive dogs, and for that matter aggressive owners. One fight/attack/bite and you are banned from the dog park until the dog has completed a training course and consultation, possibly medication, from a veterinarian.

I am available to answer more questions or even participate more in the planning if you need a veterinarian input.

Please have a separate section for small dogs (under ~25lbs). When you mix small and large dogs together, it can create an unsafe environment for smaller dogs and potential liability issues. Also, I’ve seen some dog parks use a rubber-like material (maybe recycled tires?). It softer for dogs paws compared to wood chips and cleaner (less dusty and bits of wood everywhere). Thanks for your consideration!

Please make sure there is a sectioned off space for small dogs to be seperate. I would not use a dog park unless it had this feature.

Please consider the following:
Remove/discourage growth of plants that could poison or injure dogs.
Ensure a double gate for all access points to park.
Provide as much shade and seating as possible for humans.
Provide fresh water for dogs and humans.
Create an enclosure for small dogs.
Varied evelvation in the terrain for both interest to dogs and beauty for humans.
Ensure extra trash receptacles for dog waste and human’s rubbish.
Provide lighting for use before/after work hours.
Paw rinse station to clean off all the dirt before dog gets in car.

I’m so happy to see Lehi adding a dog park as a homeowner and pet owner myself, we’ve couple things we would like to see. We’ve been to Draper dog park and one thing I noticed is dog pee inside the water feature and some dog goes to drink it. Water feature is not ideal in my opinion. Dogs can get sick from drinking out of the water feature. Unless the water feature is purely for aesthetics and scenery reason, if it’s open access to dogs, they’ll most likely potty inside and some might drink out of it. It’s is something to reconsider.

Second, I noticed not a lot of places offer artificial grass area and I’d love to see that feature instead of just dirt/ sand patches. Artificial grass area are easy to clean up if dogs potty on them. If possible a gated artificial dog patch indies then willow park dog park will be great and adding some benches inside will be perfect!

There shouldn’t be a pavilion with picnic tables at a dog park. Having picnic tables invites people to bring food into the park and not everyone is aware of what types of human food is toxic to dogs (grapes, raisins, garlic, etc). Dog parks should have rules that no food is allowed, so picnic tables are unnecessary. A shaded area with chairs would be nice so there is still a cool place for owners to sit.

Looks awesome I think the water feature should be a little bigger with a fun tunnel or get a cool splash pad like kids playgrounds so the dogs paws wont get muddy and the park needs a small dog park to separate from the big dogs. I also think there should be more benches around the edge so people can sit if their dog is on the other side of the park.

An area for small dogs with a drinking fountain would be great. Not all big and small dogs play comfortably together. Def shady trees, and some agility elements would be awesome too!

I have two suggestions
1) there should be a separate small dog area.
2) if the water feature is built out of natural items (dirt and rocks), or not surrounded by a cement pad or astrotruf, it will result in muddy dogs. No one wants to put a muddy dog in their car

Picnic tables at a dog park are a BAD idea. This will encourage visitors to bring food to the park, which could cause issues with dog behavior/aggression. I would rather see the pavilion be sized down with benches ONLY and then additional smaller pavilion/shade structures with benches scattered throughout the park (at least 4).

It would also be great to have a smaller, fenced area for smaller dogs - not all dogs play nice with smaller dogs and it's great to have a safe option when those situations arise. Agree with previous comments about agility equipment. Rocks, small tunnels, mounds, etc. for dogs to explore would be great rather than having the entire park flat and open. Draper Dog park is one of our favorites so I'd encourage you to visit for inspiration! Definitely also need a dog wash station with a hose near all access entrances. Entrances need to be double-gated.

Lots of shade and I would get rid of the water feature. That will just make the dogs sick, see the Draper dog park for how that increased sickness in dogs because of the pond at that park.

This is great, thank you! She’s with others, it needs a shade, water, and grass. The current one is useless when it rains. Big, open, trash/waste cans. Not much else to add, but thank you.

Love the size of the park. It would be nice to have a smaller park within the park for smaller or more cautious dogs. More shade throughout the park would also be beneficial. Also some poop bag locations throughout would be nice to help keep it clean.

Having separate areas for small dogs and big dogs will help with dog safety. Benches under the trees, not just in the pavilion, would give owners a place to sit while watching their dog play. The pavilion wouldn't allow such supervision. In fact, for that reason I would prefer a few smaller pavilions instead of one large one. A drinking fountain/faucet would be good addition to offer drinking water to owners and pets which is an important safety consideration during the summer.

I see the bench area, which is nice but I was hopeful there might be benches scattered along the fence line. The park looks to be a pretty good size and I’m not comfortable sitting at one end while my dog is at the other playing or maybe even whilst walking around the track and a person wants to stop and take a break.

I’d like to see more shade, especially in the area where the benches are. The shade pavilion is nice, but it’s tucked in the corner, away from where most dogs will be playing. So it’s hard to keep an eye out from that far away.

The dog park should have a small dog area, not huge but something for puppies or dogs under 30 lbs. The dog park should have water in the summer, to drink and play in. This area needs lots of shade, newly planted trees won't provide shade for many years, perhaps 2-3 pavilions would be nice. Agility equipment would be really nice. Plenty of benches for people to sit. Easy to maintain ground cover so it doesn't become a mud pit full of weeds and foxtails. A hose to rinse of dirty paws would also be nice.