Point Isabel in Richmond Picked as #1 Dog Park In Country

By Patrick
Monday, October 5, 2009

Today, Petside.com counted off the top 10 dog parks in the country and, most notably, they included the Bay Area’s Point Isabel Regional Shoreline as it’s number 1 choice. I’m not sure exactly how you judge dog parks that are across the county from one another and I’m not entirely sure why petside.com has decided to undertake such a grand account of the best dog parks in America (probably so blogs like ours will talk about it), but there is little doubt that they were anything but spot on in picking the Richmond park as their number one choice.

With over 21 acres bordering the San Francisco Bay (making it the largest in the nation), cleanup bags and trash cans handy and a complete off-leash policy allowing your dog to play as he/she/it was truly intended, there is little doubt why the park was picked as the best in the US. It’s not as if it’s a secret either: the park sees over 750,000 dog visits are year (500,000 by humans). To get to the park, take the Central Ave. exit in Richmond off of I-80, go west towards the bay and you’ll hit the park in no time. Also, as dogsquad.biz points out, make sure to a) have great voice control over your dog, as the park is often crowded b) beware of aggressive dogs, as the park is often crowded c) if you go on the weekends go as early as possible, as, you guessed it, the park is often crowded and d) if you go on the weekdays you’ll have the park entirely to yourself. Don’t think of the crowds as a deterrent though; just think of it as evidence of great a dog park it is (and isn’t the whole point of a dog park to let your dog play freely with others anyway?). For more information, visit Point Isabel Dog Owners and Friends and East Bay Regional Park District (for rules).

originally published at: http://themightysparrow.com/index.php/2009/10/05/point-isabel-in-richmond-picked-as-1-dog-park-in-country/