I have been looking for ages for a dog park in Tulsa or the surrounding area but until recently I had been unsuccessful at finding one. Last month, a fellow dog owner told me about an unoffical dog park located in Tulsa - near rhe arboretum at 21st and Harvard. It’s a small park but appears to be well maintained by both the grounds caretakers and the visitors alike. You do need to clean up after your dog as you do in most official dog parks across our country - let’s face it - our dogs are important to us and having a park for them to socialize in is a needed thing, but a dirty one is not.
I term it as unofficial because technically there are no dog parks in Tulsa - at least none that I have found crusing the local forums for that matter. You do have to have your dog on a leash OR he must be controllable without a leash. I have been there 4 times since first finding out about the park and my dog has never had a better time chasing after the other well mannered dogs that are usually there on the weekends. The park is most crowded on a clear, warm day around 5PM - I counted 40 dogs 2 weekends ago at that time. Around 1 or 2 you can expect to find 10 to 20 dogs romping around or catching frisbees on the well manicured lawn. The park can be a little difficult to find for first timers but I found the easiest way to get to the park is to head south on Peoria from Cherry street going through 21st and passing the first entrance to the park just driving ahead to about 24th street and making a left at the entrance to the Tulsa Historial Society and then driving straight till you can’t go any further - That’s where the unofficial dog park is. No worries about having to bring pooper scoopers to the park since the park has an adequate supply of small plastic bags to aid in the disposal of your furred friend’s mess. The park also has a water fountain with a ground level bowl for your thirsty hound to drink from.
The park is not gated but it is fenced in with two open entrances on either side. You may be worried that your pouncing
pooch may run off through the open entrances but he will be more than happy to stay inside because there is just too much fun for him to have with all of the other dogs.
I met dog owners from Broken Arrow, Sand Springs and all parts of Tulsa so it is apparent that word is catching on about the park quickly.
If you are a dog owner and are ever at the park, I’ll be the short guy with the black pug named Emma - sometimes I bring a lab or two as well depending on whether or not I am taking care of one that week.
UPDATE: MAY 11, 2008
I went for a visit to the park again this weekend and was told by several folks that several tickets were issued to pet owners that did not have their dogs on a leash. The tickets started at $75.00 each and it was reported that at least 20 were issued. The tickets were issued this past Thursday and Friday. I think it is an outrage that tickets were issued at the park whether the tickets were issued legally or not. These are DOGS and their owners, not criminals but apparently the officers that issued the tickets felt otherwise. Because of the incident this past week, visitors to the park have expressed an interest in a legal and of course, official dog park. It is evident that the unofficial dog park at the arboretum has attracted many dog owners and I might add, VERY RESPONSIBLE dog owners… so if the unofficial dog park has been working up until the incident this week, then why doesn’t the city of Tulsa opt for a legal dog park where families, friends and their dogs could gather together. Heck the revenue the city of Tulsa would make on the potential dues and fees should be enough to get even a smal park opened. If you are a dog owner and if you are interested in joining the Tulsa Bark Park Yahoo group, to discuss this topic and lend support to fellow dog owners, please use the sign up link below.
Related: Channel 2 News story - DOG PARK CONCERNS IN TULSA
UPDATE MAY 18, 2008
Please help us get an official Dog Park underway. We’ve had several people join our Yahoo group but the power is in numbers. We need more of YOU. If you are interested in helping us petition the city of Tulsa for an OFFICIAL DOG PARK in Tulsa, Please join as soon as you can by clicking the link below.
Click to join tulsabarkpark
All the best!
Vinnie
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