Where Are Your Favorite Shore Dog Parks?

This past weekend I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday while it was still nice (before those loud thunderstorms showed up!), while giving my pup Scooter a chance to have some fun.

I've had mixed luck with dog parks in the past, with some being far away, some requiring permits, and others just not being very big, when I came upon the "Bark Park" at Howell's Oak Glen Park.

I was pleasantly surprised by both how easy it was to get to, a straight shot down Herbertsville Road, which becomes Old Tavern Road when you cross into Howell, and how big and nice the park is.

The Bark Park is up a small hill, nestled in the trees above the ball fields of the park. It has two big fenced-in areas, one for dogs under 30lbs and one for dogs over 30lbs, that are shaded by the big trees of the park.

It's not just a fenced-off area of grass like some dog parks are, which not only makes it nice and shaded, but has the benefits of different terrains (and let's be honest, plenty of places for your male dogs to, let's say "leave their calling card").

Scooter loves other dogs. His best friend in my neighborhood is a huge 70-pound pit bull. Even though Scoot is less than half her size, he loves romping around and playing rough with her. So it was kind of funny when we got to the dog park.

There were four other dogs there, all about the size of a Labrador retriever. As we were walking up Scooter got really excited, pulling at the leash, whining, and sniffing through the fence.

Then, when we got in and I let him off the leash, he didn't know what to do. He kind of looked around like, "ok, this is great, now what?". He eventually warmed up and got more comfortable and ended up making a few new friends.

I'm really glad that I discovered the Bark Park at Oak Glen Park in Howell. Scooter and I will definitely be back!

So where are your favorite places to let your dogs off the leash at the Shore? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page!