Bonita Springs Dog Park

I am a professional dog park reviewer, and this was my first visit to this dog park (which has the official name of "Bark N Play Dog Park") since it opened about a year and a half ago in Bonita Springs. It is pretty good. It has three sections, based on the size of the dog (which I don't agree with, I prefer to see the sections based on the dog's demeanor and play style) -- small, medium and large. All sections were spacious. I was glad to see that the city had not wasted money on traditional dog agility equipment. All three sections had small rock outcroppings added which dogs naturally like to jump on plus they served as casual seating for the humans. Another negative was that each section was equipped with picnic tables, a big no-no inside dog parks. There were some benches. There were trees that were not yet mature, so there is not yet enough natural shade -- I would have liked to see each section have one manmade shade structure until the time years down the road that they new trees mature. There was a dual species (dog and human) water fountain in each section and a spray area outside the dog parks for rinsing off dirty dogs before they get in their owner's cars. Each section had two poop bag dispensers -- I would have liked to see a third in the back of each section, and an additional waste container in the back of each section if you want dog owners to comply with scooping the poop. The ground cover was a mix of grass and mulch, which worked out nicely. No restrooms for the humans, which is why I only rated it four stars. There was a fair sized off-street parking lot, which they will probably want to enlarge later to handle cars during the busy dog park times. Overall, it is a nice complex. Very cool dog themed art at the entrance to the park, too.

We took our dog Sunshine to the park and it was great! Lots of other dogs around and in the water. The water doesn’t get deep too quick so it’s lovely to walk around through and make the dog nice and tired. There is a wash off area in the parking lot and a few port-a-potties too.

The small dogs part of the park is adequate. There’s a dog water fountain, seating, and shade, which are the three requirements of a good dog park, beyond just having space for the dogs to run and play and sniff. Most everybody is good about picking up their dog’s poo. It’s conveniently located, especially if you live in Bonita. But it’s nothing to write home about. Not in a bad way! It’s perfectly adequate for the task! My dog is always happy to come. Just, I don’t know, nothing special i guess 🙃

We love the Bonita Springs dog park. We specifically drive a little further just to come here. We love the large runs and the separate spaces for small, medium, and large dogs. The large trees help provide shade and cover during the hot summer months. Owners are always friendly locals and I have never encountered anyone bringing in an unfriendly dog. Our dogs always have such a good time here.

This is a really really fun dog park with lots of nice people and nice dogs. There are different areas for different size dogs. It’s landscaped well and has plenty of seating for dog owners.