Brook Run Dog Park

I come here every weekend and I almost always have a great time. The volunteers are a great group of people who's priority are the dogs' happiness! The park is HUGE so there are a lot places you can take your dog to avoid any situation that you might not like. You have to be a responsible owner. I never sit around the center because that's where all the "trouble" happens. And I make sure that when my dog plays rough it's okay with the other owner. I think all the negative comments are from uptight owners. Of course I have days where I don't particularly like the fact that my dog is being mounted by a dog who's owner is busy on a cell phone, but I just deal like my dog does and move to another acre of the park. Dogs are dogs. They wrestle, play bite, bark, growl, jump...all this should be expected and you shouldn't hold a grudge (your dog doesn't).

The park recently went through some renovations...gravel pathway (small gravel) around the park is great for human exercise too! the gravel helps hide tree roots better! Way to go!

It's like when a dog feels like a wolf like walking around the woods and stuff the only thing o don't like is that people bring aggressive dogs and let them another and while things are happening the owners are just chatting with their friends it's ridiculous if you have an aggressive dog be responivle for it clean up after it, watch it at all times, and when children want to pet warn them that it may bit or don't touch it on it's head you know. We also want o keep children safe they can go with their dog because it's the dog park it's for children and people with their dogs to play

Nice shady park with benches placed around so as to have shade of big trees. Fresh water. Finding parking was a mystery our first visit, but we used a banks overflow lot. Parking also at the welcome center up by the Stone Mountain Trail.

Oh my! Laine Sweezey thank you thank you for your comment. Couldn't have said it better myself.

There are so many great things about this park. For starters it is huge with plenty of trees for shade. There are chairs and bench stations well distributed around the park. There are 2 water stations. There is no excuse for not picking up after our dogs since there are potty pouches all around the park. I have been going on a regular basis to this park for over a year and have not witnessed problems due to the small dogs being in the same space with the big dogs. It's understandable that those who own small dogs may not feel too comfortable around the bigger ones but they always have the option of walking around with their dog. After all the park is huge. The common mistake that people make is that a lot of them gather around in the center of the park so their dogs do to. This is where most of the problems occur. Then some owners take it personal when a dog growls or gets dominant on theirs. I am a believer that dogs don't hold a grudge. My dog has been in the situation where she may get bullied by a dominant dog then seconds later they are playing as if nothing happened. The only downside to this park is the drainage ditch. Right now there is murky water so some dogs end up way to dirty especially mine. But I know that this is being worked on and can't wait. Then it will be the perfect park. Thank you to all those who provide my furry kids and I a place where we can enjoy the company of other doggies and those who care for them.

I have been a regular visitor to this park with my dog for the 3 years now. I love this place so much especially my dog who enjoys and as soon as my car turns the Peeler road he senses that we are going to go here and gets so exited and wants to go and play immediately. Good place to relieve all dog's energy out and socialize with other dogs. People who have negative comments do not realize the value of this place.

Really loved the experience at this dog park! I have a new 6 month old puppy I adopted at the shelter so I was a bit anxious to see how he would do with the other dogs. He had a GREAT time. ALL the dogs were well behaved and everyone was very friendly! Very glad we went and will definitely be back!

How Can I become a volunteer? I'm not qualified to move to ga until 2016 but I would like to volunteer when I do move. Do volunteers have the right to furnish the dog park because I would like to add an agility course,fountain,and a gate so their will be seperate areas for small and big dogs and an extra pick up station.

It is unfortunate but true that children and dogs are not necessarily a perfect combination. This is a dog park, not a children's park. What that means is that the dogs' welfare is the top priority, and children must be closely monitored and taught how to behave around strange dogs. The majority of dogs in our park are rescues, which means we don't always know their full history. I personally know a number of dogs in this park who are, for whatever reason, afraid of children. A dog who is nervous is a dog who is unpredictable.

You bring your dog to this park for his/her enjoyment. If you want a park where children's pleasure is the priority, there is a large and expensive children's park up at the entrance to the Brook Run park. And when a dog's owner specifically warns you that her dog is upset by specific behaviors, that owner is being responsible and proactive. Respond accordingly. The park is four acres, so there's plenty of room to get away from situations that seem unpleasant. If a child's behavior causes a problem, the dog will be blamed, and that's just not right. It's a DOG park. Dogs can't go to the children's park, but children cannnot be prohibited from the dog park. Please act accordingly.

This is pretty nice park but some owners are just down right irreasponsble. A lady had her pointer at the park and a boy was calling his dog when the woman got mad and yelled at him, saying her dog was anxious and aggresive and the yelling would make the dog attack. So I was like, why would you bring a dog like that to a place where there's going to be noise and children it might attack. This is a great park except for the careless dog owners you have to deal with.

We are hoping to add a separate area for small dogs. Politics seem to be our biggest foe. The entire Brook Run park (in addition to the dog park itself) is currently owned DeKalb Co. but is in the process of being turned over to the newly-formed City of Dunwoody. Consequently, I presume the county is reluctant to provide funding for a property that will no longer be theirs. We are hopeful that things will change in the future. Meanwhile, small dogs who are timid around medium and large dogs would probably be happier elsewhere.
Laine Sweezey
President, Just a Walk in the Park
www.jawitp.com

I read your comments and am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience in the park. I know you were there on a weekend because we volunteers were working on the drainage ditch on the day you submitted your comments. I was surprised to see your remark that the park is a "very small area." We have almost four acres (but most visitors tend to congregate in the main seating area). There is plenty of room and numerous seating areas to allow visitors to get away from the crowds. By the way, the logs on the ground are part of an on-going erosion control project and were placed there, manually, by JAWITP and a local Boy Scout troop. We also planted monkey grass behind the logs to prevent soil from being washed away after rains.

I will admit that weekends in the park are dramatically different from weekdays. The weekend crowds are typically huge and seem to be filled with a lot of dogs who only get out once in a while. Weekend crowds tend to socialize more than watch their dogs, and you saw that yourself. Weekend crowds (and the after-work crowds during the week) also tend to pick up after their dogs much less than the other regular visitors. That's why our volunteer group stays so busy during the week. The park is maintained by volunteers, not by county employees.

I hope you will return some day. If you can ever visit us on a weekday, you will see a very different atmosphere. Just a Walk in the Park (JAWITP) is the volunteer group that maintains the park. You may contact me via our website.

Laine Sweezey
President, Just a Walk in the Park
www.jawitp.com

There is really only one word that can even come close to describing this park, and that is ohmythisisthegreatestparkwehaveeverbeento! My boyfriend and I decided to we really wanted to check out Brook Run since it†s super close to his house and it was absolutely the best part of our weekend. The park itself is super easy to find, the dog park is hidden way in the back, beyond the skate park. We felt like we kept driving and driving and driving, and when we finally decided we must have passed it, there it was! Settled off to the right in the woods, very easy to miss. Best advice I can give you, just keep driving until you see a whole bunch of dogs. If you feel like you†ve been driving for miles and miles, you†re probably almost there.

Once we got there and parked (limited parking available on a sunny day it seems) we let Autumn off the leash and she went nuts! Half of the fun for us was trying to find her in the park, which is gigantic. The entire park is about three heavily wooded acres (might want to bring bug spray in the warmer months) with seating for humans scattered throughout. I noticed two entrances when we walked around the perimeter of the park, which is roughly a half mile walk. It†s actually a very pleasant walk with paved paths throughout, it makes it easy to safely walk through the woods. However, if you step off the path, be prepared to trip over logs, sticks, and stumps.

The only major drawback to the park is that it doesn†t have a water spigot. If you go to the park, you must bring your own water. Bring enough for a couple dogs to share and leave it there, you know, pay it forward as they say! There is a water spigot for cleaning off paws, but please be sure to use the water sparingly.

Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about this park. The other dog parents were very smart and kept a close eye on their dogs. I didn†t spot one person on a cell phone or with their nose in a book.

Read the rest of my review on my website.

Very small area, lots of trees and logs on the ground, irregular terrain but a reasonably smooth path around the perimeter. Considering the number of dogs it was VERY clean and tidy. Workers were clearing a drainage ditch and resetting stones while we were there.

Very, very crowded. Roving packs of dogs, lots of people sat talking -- even reading books -- and not paying attention to their dogs. Three times while we were there a group of dogs attacked a single dog and there was a lot of growling (and screaming from the dog that was being attacked). People did wade in and break it up, but I called my dogs to heel and moved in the direction of AWAY.

This was a really weird experience for me. I've never been to a dog park before and I don't think I'll go back. I have very well trained, highly disciplined agility dogs (one with his AX/AXJ/AD) and I'm not going to risk them in this environment again.

good park- too many owners allow their dogs to be aggressive though

My husband and I took our 2 dogs to this park yesterday. It is a beautiful park with the perfect amount of space-you can find a place to work with your dog 1 on 1, but there is plenty of room for packs to run and play. Casey is my older dog, and she is very independent (doesn't really play with other dogs, just like to sniff and wander). She stayed busy "checking the perimeter," and I liked that I could keep an eye on her without having to follow her around. Boggle, my youngest, loves to run and play with other dogs. For the most part, the mix of dogs was good; little dogs and bigger dogs playing well together. THe only thing that kept me from giving this park 4 stars is that there was an owner there who was not as engaged as she should have been. She became aggressive towards Boggle (who tried to walk away). While this was going on, I was looking around for the owner, but no one appeared to be watching this dog. Finally, I had to call for the dog's owner to come and get her dog. This interaction between the 2 dogs was more than play fighting, and I expect that any responsible dog owner would keep an eye out for aggressive behavior. No harm was done, but it could have taken a bad turn.

Other that this, our dogs had a great time. I liked the wooded environment, and I met several nice people and their gorgeous dogs. We will definitely be back soon, even though there are several other parks closer to home.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir on this site, but I just wish that more people would understand that taking their dogs to a dog park isn't an excuse to "check out." We all have to be aware of the energy around us, even if our dogs aren't aggressive. Dogs are dogs, and it's in their nature to establish their hierarchy...sometimes this can result in a bad experience, so please, keep an eye on your dogs and intervene when needed. It just makes it a better experience for everyone.

My "POOR" rating is based on the fact that there is no separation for large and small dogs. I have two small dogs that enjoying running around as much as large dogs do. Unfortunately, the large dogs run around wildly in a pack and trample anything (or anyone) that gets in their way. The park itself is nice... and great for large dogs. I absolutely would NOT recommend this park for small dogs. I also agree with some of the other reviews. Several of the dog owners to not take great interest in what their dogs are doing... its sad that this park can't be enjoyed by dogs of ALL sizes.

First visit today! 2 hours . . . Woof! Great Dogs, Great People! Just moved here and happy to find a place to take my dog. Thanks to the Boys Scouts for cleaning up the park today too! Really appreciated!
Wear old cloths and shoes, expect to get dirty, bring water for you and your pooch, towels in your car for the ride home.

DONATE: Monkey grass, tennis balls
And try to rescue a pet whenever possible

most everyone was watching their pet. the park is very nice. when a dog was growling at mine the owner came and asked if that type of play was okay with me and i said not really. he polietly stopped his dog. good experience. i will definately go back.

On our first visit with our new dog and my 10 year old son, there was a group of people whose dogs were out of control. The pack ran up to us and started jumping all over my son and I with the owners seated only feet away. I had to scream out who owns these dogs. No one claimed them and we were forced to leave to get away from them and we heard the group of people laughing as we did. NO DOG PARK ETIQUETTE here. After we arrived, we saw one man come in with 4 large dogs.

My two dogs and I have really enjoyed this park in the year we have been going. It has a real sense of community between the dog owners and getting to know the "regular" dogs in the park is fun. I wouldn't recommend bringing small children in, or small dogs who are very timid. But if you are looking for other dog lovers and well-socialized dogs for your pup to play with, this is a great place. Also, it has plenty of shade!

The park is beautiful. It looks ideal. But the owners have no control of their dogs and show no concern for their behavior. I do expect barking and play growling; but this was on the verge of aggressive. Many dogs going for the throat with hair on their backs standing up and their owners taking no control to calm or stop them.
The tension in the air was palpable. It is a shame...it is a well designed park and ideal for dog play. Perhaps if the owners were more responsible it would be perfect.

This dog park is great. We have two large dogs and they love it. The fenced in area is very wooded so there is lots of shade. All the dogs are friendly for the most part. It's just a great place!

The off-leash dog park in the Brook Run facility in Dunwoody, GA, is now in its third year. The fenced park is more than two acres of fully wooded land with walking paths. The park is maintained (with the help of the county's Parks Dept.) by an all-volunteer group called Just a Walk in the Park.

We recommend that you bring a jug of water. We have been unsuccessful in our efforts to get the county to honor its promise of a water fountain, so we have a community water bucket. JAWITP members take turns keeping a clean bucket available. Members also meet once a month to walk through the entire park, picking up stray dog poop and  other trash or debris. We also have poop stations that provide poop bags and lidded cans for disposal. (There is also a separate lidded can for human trash.)

We have no restrictions regarding particular dog breeds; as long as we humans maintain control, all dogs are welcome. We do not, however, have a separate area for small dogs. Please visit our website for directions, more information, and a link to contact us.