Show us your favorite off-leash dog park! (Please?)

Sometimes, a dog's gotta run -- and in Southern California, where a large percentage of residents are apartment dwellers, many of them don't have a fenced yard in which to stretch their legs. For many dog owners, the solution is one of the area's many off-leash dog parks, where dogs can run and play to their hearts' content (assuming they're friendly with people and other animals).

Our own little guys are big fans of the large and grassy Redondo Beach dog park and Culver City's The Boneyard. (Since the latter has a dirt surface and our dogs have a penchant for getting messy, we'd prefer to take them to the former, but it's a bit of a trek for us.)

What are your favorite dog parks? We'd love you to show us by submitting a video that we can share with other readers. If you're a YouTube user, showing us is easy -- just click the link below, which will guide you through submitting a video through your existing YouTube account. Once we've taken a look and approved it, your video will enter a queue that dog-loving readers can peruse to find the dog park that's right for them. (If you don't have a YouTube account, you'll need to sign up for one in order to share your video with us.)

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Thirsty dogs take advantage of the water bowls at L.A.'s Silver Lake dog park. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Dan]

do you want us to show you our favorite fishing hole as well?

[Tom M.]

Why would anyone be stupid enough to get a dog if they don't have a fenced yard??? It seems like the whole city is an "off-leash dogpark" as everywhere I go, I see people walking their dogs and holding leashes that aren't actually attached to their dogs...

[Bryan]

The Redondo Park is great for our two Yorkies and most of the dogs and owners are really friendly. Dizzy and Miles always make new friends and already know the words "dog park" and go bonkers when we move towards the car....

[Dog Mama]

I like the Pasadena (Alice's Park) dog park, but it's a bit too far for me now. The regulars in the morning at the Silver Lake park are nice people, but the park itself is really not that great in terms of surface (steep slope, just dirt and mud). It gets the job done in a pinch, and is nicely located on the reservoir path, so we can run for 2.2 miles first and then go to the park.

I do find, though, that there are a lot more clueless owners at Silver Lake than Pasadena, and it shows. A part of my dog's ear was bitten off just yesterday, and my dog has been going to dog parks daily for 5 years. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I blame the dog owner, of course, as the dogs are just doing what they think is right.

[steve]

While I appreciate the wonders of LA (beaches, weather, etc) I must say the best dog park cannot possibly down there, but is Westcrest dog park in West Seattle, WA. Huge open spaces and roads with water and all, plus lots of trails through the woods where the labs (or any dogs) can run, sniff and play. If it would be possible to airlift the whole shebang to Los Angeles I may have to sell the house and relocate. After the last episode of Spartacus, of course

[Lindsay Barnett, L.A. Times]

Tom -- I live in an apartment and have two small dogs (both are under 20 pounds). They -- and even some large dogs (greyhounds spring to mind) -- are actually pretty well-suited to apartment life. But I definitely agree with you that I hate to see dogs off-leash anyplace *other* than a fenced-in dog park -- so we partially agree, at least!

Bryan -- Redondo's definitely a good one, and just about everyone I've ever met there (human and dog) has been super nice! One of my dogs sounds a bit like your Yorkies -- he knows the area around the park and starts to bark excitedly when we get close.

Dog Mama -- I'll have to try Alice's -- never have but have heard great things! I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your poor pup's ear; did he/she have to get stitches?

Steve -- Argh, you're making me want to move to West Seattle! Westcrest sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!