Good Morning!!
So I heard through the grapevine the other day that the City of Andover opened up a small off leash dog park near where I live. I asked Steve and Jackson if they would be oh so gracious enough to go with me to check it out and they agreed (like I had the twist their paws!)
The dog park is located off Hanson and 133rd. East of the sheriffs station, behind the compost site:
There are two areas for dogs to play, one labeled as "small dog area" and one as "large dog area". The smaller area is fenced in right in the front and does not have a lot of trees or brush and is nicely maintained if you want to keep your dog close by and away from big rowdy dogs. The larger area is open and spacious, has a little tree covered area to the south east corner, there is a large open play spot and the the north west corner has a hill with quite a bit of brush that could still be cleared.
When we got there around 9am, there were 4 other dogs there. Instantly we noticed the sand burrs are out of control, as all the dogs seemed to have them in their fur or in between their toes. My dogs don't have much fur and they don't give a hoot if they have stickers on them they just want to run....so they did.
Along the fence there is a path, somewhat forged by a lawnmower, that I walked along with the dogs. A lot of weeds and brush still overgrown that the dogs jumped through, it could be cleared a little bit more I think but maybe that is something to plan for next spring? Also, I have heard they may be bringing in some picnic tables for the inside where you first walk in which would be nice since the park is small enough where you could sit and chit chat at the picnic table and still keep an eye on the dogs.
There are poo bags up front and signs asking you to clean up after your dogs but as I see in a lot of dog parks, people do not follow the rules!!
Pick up your poo people!!
Overall, it's nice.....nothing fantastic but it is absolutely needed in our area. It is so convenient and easily accessible. The park is located just east of the sheriff's shooting range so if your dog is skiddish around gun shot sounds or loud noises just a heads up, they are not super loud but you can definitely notice them. I am sure Steve and Jackson and I will become morning regulars :-)
There is not a lot of info about the dog park online, but I did find a up and coming website HERE
And a Facebook page HERE
