MonDaug is the first dog park i'd ever been to, so at first i didn't know any better. now that my pup and i have been to a few parks i know that there's better out there for us.
i have no complaints at all about the park itself or its upkeep. upper dublin township does a great job of maintaining the grounds. the park has separate areas for small and large dogs, which is good if your dog runs in the extremes. it seems like most dog owners in this particular area have either a really small and somewhat shy dog or a big dog that's playfully aggressive. that's good if you're on either of those two poles, but for me and my aussie/cocker mix it's not the best.
she's about 25 pounds and full of energy. in the small dog area, none of the dogs are as energetic or interested in playing the way she is and when she's in the big dog area she gets overwhelmed. it's not the fault of the bigger dogs. none have been aggressive towards her, but they are inquisitive.
i stopped going there once i discovered the dog park in horsham in october of 2008. the layout is a lot better and mads does well with either the big dogs or the small dogs.
i think the layout thing was key, and possibly someone recognized it at MonDaug because the last time i went there (last sunday on a whim after we had already been to the one in horsham for a few hours!) they had made some updates. there used to be a hill in the middle of the big dog area that made for some interesting chases among the dogs. now that area is fenced in and it really splits up the big dog area. i don't know if that was the intended purpose of the fence, but it works to minimize all out chases and dogs getting rolled over, from what i've seen.
one of my favorite parts about this dog park is the trail behind the compost pile that leads to a small creek. in the summer we used to go down there and play fetch in the water, which my dog loves. it's nice if your dog is good off-leash. the other good thing about having the creek there is that both the big and small dog areas tend to get dried out and have a dust bowl effect in the summer!
small dog area gripe: the owners are kind of cliquey and can be a bit weird. don't get me wrong, i love my dog, but i've never seen the need to put her in a hoody with her name embroidered or give her a hot pink pedicure. (i've seen both and more). my dog is a DOG and i let her be one! read more