Passyunk Square Dog Park

So it is what it is....a place for my 3 dogs to run off leash. Not the best but not the worst. At this point I'm just happy this place is in S. Philly so my beloved doggies can roam freely. My only complaint is the cleanliness of the area. I've seen a lot of broken glass, trash & scraps. I advise owners to do a lookover/clean-up before you let your dogs run. Dog owners should remember if we all pitch in we can make our dog parks better. The size of the area is small but it's better than my dogs playing/running in my house. I guess I just learn to appreciate any space my dogs can run nose up into the wind!

it's easy to say something negative about a place that is completely run by volunteers. if you don't plan on giving some time to make things better then be quiet and don't complain please. people love it when others do the hard work.
pete kourahanis

I was in the park the day you came to review it and, while we had a lovely chat, I'm quite sure I echoed the other dog owners' sentiments that this dog park is the pits! I came here only once to check it out and haven't been back. No one is "blissfully unaware" of the fact that a gravel lot the size of a stamp is not where it's at. Which is why, at least on the day I went, there were few other dogs there, as compared to the other parks we frequent in Philly (Seger and Schuylkill).

That said, for those living in South Philly (and really, for anyone living in Philly), we take our dog parks for what they are - a small plot of land in the city where we can give our pups some exercise and socializing when time/weather permits. Fairmount Park and the other surrounding wooded areas are where you go when you want to see some nature and really let your dog run.

This dog park stinks, but let's not pretend we don't all know it. Mayor Nutter does let us out of South Philly occasionally.

This dog park has its drawbacks. There's no water supply, the gravel surface is quite unpleasant (and it becomes an icky mess when it rains), the waste bag station is rarely stocked, and children are not allowed in its tiny confines. However, beggars can't be choosers. And in South Philadelphia, where rowhomes and cement occupy 90 percent of surfaces between the Delaware to the Schuylkill rivers, creating useful open spaces for canines and their companions is a novel idea that has just recently been embraced and is far from being perfected.

There are logs and stumps randomly placed here, which dogs can run around, jump on and rest under. And there are a couple of places for humans to sit. But it's just a bit sad that the greater Passyunk Square Park is entirely closed off to dogs and much of it is rarely used by anyone else.

Still, the apparently love this tiny patch where they can stretch out and play. Unfortunately, though, while the folks here are friendly and sociable, they seem to be blissfully unaware of the amazing parks that are being created in other cities up and down the Eastern Seaboard and elsewhere in the country. So no one's complaining. And improvements will likely be slow in coming.

DogSpark