Me and my dog absolutely love coming here. It is my first choice for a dog park because of the spacious area and the fact I can run with him for so long. I'll personally love it. The trails around the area are great too. read more

Best park in the tri-county area. Super large area for larger dogs with shade, lots of seating, poo bags, and water. Arrived around 5:00 pm and there were so many friendly chill people with their friendly chill dogs. Wish is closer to our home but we will visit again when in that area. read more

Visited with our 30-lb mutt a couple weeks ago when visiting the area. Thought it was a nice-sized large dog space. Nobody was in the small dog space, and there were plenty of small dogs mixing it up in the big space. Two drinking fountains for people and dogs. Did not see human restrooms anywhere, portable or permanent. Other humans were perfectly friendly to us and our dog, didn't see any cliquishness. Large parking lot. Would definitely return when we are in the area again. read more

We were driving back north from Monterey so our stop here was really just for a quick dog stretch. On the bright side, there is a lot of open space for dogs to run around. There was also a dog friendly water fountain that was nice. Unfortunately, it was very dusty as the floor of the dog area consists of loose, dry soil. With dogs running everywhere, prepare to leave with a very dirty dog, soiled clothes, and irritated eyes. read more

I got a Schipperke puppy in 2010. Bob is now a 3 yr old dog at 17 lbs & loves the "all dog" section. Since then we have been to 47 dog parks. This is one of the very best. On the Flip side: Those who do not like Aptos Dog Park were opposed to "dog park etiquette" and usually said they preferred the Scotts Valley Dog Park. Available at Polo Grounds Dog Park: water pumps plastic bags trash cans benches in "all dog section" chairs easy parking port-a-potty and a lot more This is our mainstay dog park. We go early morning, morning, noon, afternoon, night, weekdays, weekends, holidays. Been there too many times to count, and almost everyday for 2-3 hours at a time. We are so lucky to have a large, clean area to RUN! Polo Grounds Dog Park (aka Aptos Dog Park) is not an "anything goes" kind of park. When things happen people generally talk to the other owner. I have never felt unsafe here. New to dog park? Go for the first time when no one is there. Your dog can smell around, then another dog will come. Go early if you are new (less intense), go more than once. Maybe stand outside for a bit and watch to get accustomed to the park and how the dogs are playing. Wear clothes suitable, go at different times because the dogs do change. If any of us does not like what is going on? We often go in the usually empty small dog section til it passes. Ask questions of the others people are usually happy to help, comment. The people at this park communicate about important things (who to watch out for, ect). At the same time it is generally not a park that tends to gets into cliches. There is a night crew who get together but they are friendly, I tend to move around so dogs do not get territorial. Most all are very welcoming. Note. Weekends, summer are a bit more rowdy. New? Come for the 1st time during the week (message me, I can help). ... WHERE DOES 'DOG PARK' GO WRONG? Usually from people not following stated rules. Here are the BIG ones: Dogs should *NEVER* be ON-LEASH in an OFF-LEASH dog park. (Google "leash aggression", it is an important rule and FEW people seem to know it.) Leash aggression is where the one on-leash feels vulnerable, and then the others pick up on that & can get feisty. When that happens all dogs are then at risk for different reasons and not necessarily because some dog is a "bad dog". Most dog parks have this rule on their "rules" sign. Use the DOUBLE GATES for the intended purpose. Come in the double gates, unleash your dog in between the two gates, then come in. Always have one of the double gates closed at a time (don't let other dogs out). Children should be supervised around the gates. Food is not allowed in the dog park. That said, some humans have dog treats to train with. No problem.....just do not give out treats to OTHER dogs w/o asking. I do not want my dog sitting at your feet, nor do I want dogs getting aggressive over food. I have 3 other reasons why I do not want strangers feeding my dog. Treat the dog park like the public space that it is (it is not your own yard). STAY near your dog, at least initially. There are chairs that are moveable so you can have the best of both worlds. ... All the above said..... We love it here, and try to do our part to "give back": We bring tennis balls to leave, we all tell each other if our dogs went potty but we missed it, I pick up dog poop if someone missed it, I bring the handle for the hose and spray down the chairs and cement pad, more. I email the County when something needs attention (ie: broken latch). If someones dog is aggressive, or a host of other issues, I communicate w the owner & it almost always goes well. I want my dog to be happy & healthy! This is a safer (and cleaner) dog park than others in the area. If I did not say it before I will say it now: the County has done a FABULOUS job giving us this amazing place to exercise our dogs! It is a fabulous community! If you come and it does not work out? You can message me and tell me the day and time you went if you want some insight, help knowing what ideas I might have instead. Some hours are not so great but many can be worked around. ie: This morning I did not want my 15 lb dog playing only w one big dog due to the size difference (15 lbs vs 90 is like me playing w a 900 lb person). So I had my pup watch a guy on roller skates for 10 mins, then other dogs came so we went in. Had a great time. Hope to see you there...... read more

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The small dog area at 1pm is filled with a group of older women for a few hours everyday. They don't like dogs that bark at all or aren't just loading around, lap dogs. We used to come here but felt so snubbed that we stopped going. read more

I have been here twice with my boyfriend and pooch: once just for fun, and once for the Pooches in the Park event. Both times we really enjoyed ourselves. There are two enclosed areas: one for big dogs and one for small dogs. Both areas are very spacious, and water and benches are provided. There is tons of parking and all of the other dog owners were very friendly. It was pretty muddy when we were there -- definitely be smart and wear tennis shoes (unlike me, who wore flip flops the first time! bad idea). read more

I think that Salty D. summed up the pros and cons nicely. I would only add two cons to that list: -Some of the owners/parents think it is ok to take dontated toys home for keeps. -Some owners let their dogs chew up, therefore ruining, donated, communal toys. I understand some wear and tear, but bring your own chewies or toys if your dog tends to ruin them... read more

This park is well suited for a fun romp with your dog(s). Good fencing, great water faucets for all, lots of room for all to run and chairs for us 2-footed friends to relax in. read more

Lots of room to allow the dogs to run around. Nice location. The small dog section can use a bench from the mixed dog area but besides that as dog parks go its a good one. We go a lot. read more

Considering we have soooo many outdoor leash only options it's great to have a fenced off the leash option. Although, today I heard a grouchy old man tell a girl with a dog on a leash that she should leave. His dog was small and taunting the leashed dog in the large area. I feel that there should be equal amenities in the small dog area. As another person said they should add a bench. Second time here and I would probably go again. read more

This is a great park to bring your dog. This park has it all. It has an area for big and small dogs, a water fountain, shade, and seats. Overall a great place to go to have your dog play and have a good time. read more

Aptos Dog Park - Lots of friendly dogs and people! Great dog park - Dog Parks Near Me - Aptos, California

I've been here with Oscar a few times. The first time there were about 15 dog's having a blast playing and doing what dog's do best. Oscar is a jack Russell terrier /Schnauzer mix most of the dog's stopped what they were doing to come and greet him at the gate. He made friends in no time!! I was pleased to see that they have doggy bag's to clean up after your dog with, you don't see that at most parks. There is also another mini Park for "smaller dogs" Oscar is a smaller breed but he loves to play with the big guys! This park is not to far from home so that makes it convenient My pup gets so excited once he realizes where we're going. We will definitely keep coming back!! read more

Aptos Dog Park - This is Oscar! - Dog Parks Near Me - Aptos, California

This is a great dog park!! The tan bark really keeps down the dirt and dust. I've yet to meet an unfriendly person or dog there. Three thumbs up!!! read more

Pros: Large and small dog areas Seating Water fountains for humans and dogs Free poop bags Plenty of parking Nearby leashed walking area Always other dogs there %95 of the dog owners are nice Free tennis balls Cons: Often times the seats are dirty No agility equipment Gets muddy in the winter Note: Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and bring some towels or blankets for the car. During the rainy season this place never really dries out. read more

Our well-behaved 10lb dog seemed to be having a real good time until another owner asked us to go to the small dog park because her grey hound wasn't well trained enough to not attack our guy. When we kindly obliged her and moved to the small dog park, we noticed the fox tails (which can be leathal) and decided to leave. Long story short, we won't making any special trips to this park anytime soon. And if you have a little one, don't waste your time, take them anywhere else. read more

Came here for the first time recently with my schipperke. Apparently there is another schipperke owner who goes there a lot, because everyone asked me if his name was Bob, which I politely told them no. Apparently my dog was much more hyper, yay for us. Anywho, this park is excellently built. It is also HUGE! I have an escape artist on my hands so I was very critical of the fences and gates. There is an on demand water fountain and poop bags/trash bins on site. Some chairs and benches available for sitting.. Great double gate system, I never felt like my guy could get out accidentally. There is also a small more confined area for dogs that need less stimulation. We went into the big section and didn't have any issue with the other dogs. Everyone there seemed to know each other and were very welcoming of us newbies. The parking lot is big and there's a porta-potty. There is also a really nice trail that goes around the whole park if you want a walk and less dog on dog action. read more

Everything you and your dog need to play safe and actively. Water, fences, parking, clean up bags, and seating. Dress to get a bit dirty, at the least dusty. Old shoes. Great location for a great park. I'm not sure why it took me so long to find this place, but I'm glad I finally did. While I love taking the dog to trails and beaches, sometimes she just needs an hour chasing other dogs and then back home and she's beat for the day. Dog owners know how great a tired dog is. This is a well thought out and and amazingly located park. Its in a valley and surrounded by trees and hills. There are soccer and polo fields as well as a bmx/mtn bike jumps park. Right in the middle is a great fenced in dog park. The place is simple and clean. The other owners all seem very laid back and knowledgeable about dogs and when and when not to worry about them. A very nice usual crew of people are almost always there with familiar dogs in tow. Great place for socialization. There is a separate though connected park for the smaller dogs that allows them all to share a fence. There is a ton of parking, to include a giant lot and the perimeter of the park fence itself. Very cozy. Water is also provided with a fountain bowl in the park itself. Plenty of benches and other seating as well as a bit of shade and a low tree row against the fence. As with most places here, without much rain the ground tends to be dusty where there aren't chips of wood. Mix that with water and dogs spit and it can get messy. Its still outstanding to think they have plenty of tennis balls and "doggy bags". Its not uncommon to have people bring toys just as a donation to such a good park. On top of all of this there is an massive field next to the park to run wild in and a big trail that goes all around the entire park. This gets five stars for being good, and being the only park like this around. The park in Scotts valley wasn't even close to this one. Enjoy, may see you there. read more

I really love this dog park! First off it's pretty close to wear I live and accessibility is always key with the dogs. The thing that really makes me love this park is how beautiful the surroundings are. You feel like you are in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Most gorgeous surroundings of any dog park I have been to... and I have been to a lot!! I really like how they have cedar/wood chips covering the entire ground of the park. When we leave my dogs aren't all muddy and that is awesome. There are both small and large dog areas. All the dogs and owners have been friendly! read more

Our dogs love it! Weekend mornings seem to be a popular time to go and there are so many dogs to play with. The park is large and they have a separate area for small dogs. They have pooper scoopers,chairs,shade,a doggy water fountain and tons of parking. Occasionally there are people there that don't seem to like dogs (why are they there?) or people who don't watch their dogs(ignore their dogs pooping or bad behavior). In general, it's a really fun place to visit. read more

Great place play ball or let your dog run around. Small and big dog side.

This dog park is a small to medium sized fenced area with wood chips for it's base and no trees or greenery. There is about a 10'x10' shaded tent area for humans or dogs to sit. The double gates to enter and exit and water fountains are nice, but that is about all that is nice. I first went here 11 years ago with our German Shepherd/Aussie mix. She was attacked by 2 adult large Briards that left her with a bloody nose. Besides that one incident, most of the people and dogs were nice. But as time went on we felt less and less of a welcoming dog community and more rude people who act like they own the place. After our 1st dog died, our 2nd was a pure bred German Shepherd Dog. She was not welcome at all, even as a puppy. One woman thought she was the dog park police and insisted I tell her what vaccinations my dog had. We tried to go again once when she was an adult. Within minutes, we heard rude comments and people were leashing up their dogs, moving away. Yesterday, we went there to just walk around the soccer and baseball fields. All we did was get out of the car and heard, "German Shepherd" whispers and one person leashed up their dog. So if you have a perceived dangerous dog, even if you have 3 years of training under your belt, or you are not part of the "in crowd", don't come here. Walking around the green, grassy playing fields is more enjoyable ( that walk is on-leash). read more

We had brought our two dogs to the park. They were running and playing with other dogs. A dog had just arrived and started growling at our dog. I was approached by the owner and was told that we should go to the separate small dog area, which was strange, because her dog was smaller than ours. I couldn't understand why the she thought the victim should be isolated. It's a great park with the exception of the self appointed mayors of the dog park and inattentive owners. Will likely travel to the Scott's Valley facility, we have had good experiences so far. read more

This is a nice big dog park. The best thing about it is that there are actually dogs and people there most times. I also liked the fact that there are lots of places to sit in and out of the shade. There's also a small dog area which is a plus. read more

Great space with friendly, inattentive dog owners. Lovely people who are more interested in conversing with each other than monitoring their dogs.For my dogs' safety, I no longer take them here as I have witnessed fights, and an attack all with clueless owners unaware and/ or too distant to intervene. There are responsible owners who take their dogs here, but the majority park themselves in chairs and focus on themselves and not their dogs. This is a dangerous set up for dogs, approach with caution. read more

Very large and relatively clean. I have taken my dog numerous times so she can run and socialize.with other dogs. All the owners and other dogs seem to get along and clean up after their dog. read more

this park is all the wonders the others say it is -great play area, beautiful setting, generally happy dogs, generally attentive humans, etc. - but - the dog park is only one part of the larger polo grounds park. also available are a dirt bike arena, baseball field, and soccer field. on some days PARKING is a real problem. -but- #2 parents in the polo grounds park for other activities sometimes treat the dog park as a babysitting service. they leave CHILDREN IN THE DOG PARK UNATTENDED. in the past, for example, i've seen children chasing dogs, throwing wood chips at dogs. when a parent finally showed up outside the fence, the reaction was anger that her kid wasn't welcome in the dog park and her dog wasn't welcome in the playground. (i'll bet she never went off and left her dog to harass the children in the playground as she had left her child to aggravate other people's dogs in the dog park!) -but- #3 this park is covered with woodchip. woodchip + abandoned dog poop + breeze + dog play/scuffle = AIRBORNE DRIED DOG POOP for everyone to breathe. over a period of time, i found it not good for my respiratory health. this is much less of a problem in dog parks without woodchip. -but- #4 PEOPLE DO SOMETIMES BRING IN FOOD, for example, a large macdonald meal to lunch on. no wonder his dog kept finding himself in fight-scuffles as other dogs were attracted to the feast. when the rule against food was pointed out to him, he grudgingly put it back in the bag, and walked out into the middle of the enclosed area. you can imagine how much change in the problem that made. he was angrily resentful, and stomped out when other dog people asked him to take the food outside the fence. -but- #5 and then there're the folk who think the other humans are there to dogsit their dogs while they go do ?what? UNATTENDED DOGS may or may not get into a scuffle with another dog. it's unlikely that an absent owner is going to be to come to his dog's aid, or pick up the treasures that dog is leaving behind. #6 SOME SMALL DOG PEOPLE INSIST THEIR INSECURE SMALL DOG STAY IN THE GENERAL AREA rather than the small dog area, but get angry if a large dog gives too much attention. 'my [little] dog likes the big area' means having to give extra attention around a dog who should be on the other side of the fence, two inches away. 'my [little] dog' rarely leaves the person's lap; said lap can be just as social from the small dog yard two inches away, but refuses . CAUTION at any dog park or on the streets. if you have an UNALTERED MALE dog, be particularly careful around any other unaltered male who may be present. i've seen three vicious fights at the park between un-neutered males. one solution a friend had was to bring his dog in the last hour of the day when there were usually less than five dogs there. one PRO that i didn't see in other comments: if you're one of the NIGHT PEOPLE who stay until the park shuts down, the guy who comes to lock the gate checks to see who's still around, and GIVES YOU PLENTY OF TIME TO GET YOUR DOGS IN THE CAR AND LEAVE. sitting there in the dark with the last dogs and people, the sky is magnificent, the owl flies out to go hunting, and, seasonally, earlier or later, night comes in on the tail of day. because there is so little ambient electric light, the stars shine crystalline bright, and the moonlight is bright enough to keep an eye on your dog. -and- it gets colder faster there as the day wanes. wear or bring something very warm. another PRO: it's a hoot to HOLD THE BUTTON FOR THE WATER FOUNTAIN FOR MY OR ANYONE'S DOG. that's the one thing no one, either dog or human, gets their hackles up about, a treat that every dog enjoys. another PRO: small communities of people, and of dogs, do grow. it's nice to meet up with family on a regular basis. remember to be nice to new visitors to the park; they may be future family. on the other hand, you can be as solitary as you want. EXTROVERT AND INTROVERT HUMANS FIND THE PARK A FINE PLACE. extrovert dogs, too. introvert dogs, hmm. introvert dog people will have to make that comment. but why bring a dog to a dog park if that dog isn't interested in socializing with other dogs, or at least people? NOTE: i used to live in aptos, and I TOOK, subsequently, i MORE THAN ONE DOG TO THE POLO GROUNDS DOG PARK. it was a long time before i had another, and i'm only just now looking into dog parks again. for the negatives given above, i won't even be trying out the pologrounds this time. One place that's been recommended by another dog walker is Chanticleer dog park. It's on chanticleer off capitola rd. toward the freeway. it has no woodchip. i haven't been there yet, but the pictures reviewer Leslie R. posted show it as being quite rustic compared to the very upscale facility at the pologrounds. probably fewer dogs, too. less parking, but also, no other park activities, and therefore, stray childre read more

Wonderful neighborhood dog park. We were driving in from Salinas and decided to find a place for our dog to run for a while. She met 4 furry friends and a wonderful dog walker from WOOFPACK. Nice break from the car and great to know there are places around where Molly can run and play safely. read more