Could be the best thing about Norwood Park, and not just for the dogs. It has a lot of green space and a water fountain. Norwood Park has a dog park. Maybe it's not very big but it's big enough. This is certainly much cleaner and not full of piles of poop like others. A lot of basic amenities. It's got a water fountain. This is used for filling up bowls and is used by those bringing inflatable pools. Ground is covered in grass and wood chips. This makes it more comfortable to walk in when there's hot weather. As for the rules, this park is off leash. The perimeter is pretty secure. It's double gated at the entrance. The owners should feel secure about preventing escapes and other dog caused headaches. Best place for those who live around here to bring dogs. It's bordered by Avondale and Hurlbut. This is located close to the Norwood Park Metra station. read more

Norwood Dog Friendly Area - Park - Dog Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had a pretty good first experience but then went back and this guy was using the N word very freely and inappropriate. Heard there is drinking too, which I don't mind but racism and alcohol is a bad combo. We won't be back. read more

Norwood park dog park need to be professionally clean. The park hasn't been clean since October 2022. The flies are bad and there is algae growing. read more

Unfortunately my small 5 pound yorki poo can not play in that dog park there is no small dog side and the dogs are always large dogs when I walk by. However it is a beautiful park overall and I love to walk around the block it's a very clean and beautiful area. read more

My favorite dog park on the North Side! All sizes of dogs and very friendly. Owners have always been very kind and the regulars will remember your dogs name. The park is a good size, gravel and concrete with trees. There is running water in the summer and benches. The entrance is just past the kids playground read more

Norwood Dog Friendly Area - So many fun toys! - Dog Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Spent a nice afternoon at this park and met some really great dogs. My pup got a great work out with a young little husky. The owner was very kind and knowledgable about her two huskies and dogs in general. I'll be back with the wife and our older dog in the near future. read more

*Sigh* I hate to do this, but it has to be done. I've got a bone to pick. When it comes to dog parks, Norwood Park definitely got the short end of the stick. This "dog park" was clearly an afterthought and I'm relatively sure the enclosed area used to be a tennis court or some other type of recreational surface before it was given to the dogs. In fact, the only thing even remotely accommodating toward the pooches is the drinking fountain. There is a little bowl at the base of it. OK, and the "emergency" doggy bags. That's it. The space is big enough to host at a couple dozen dogs, but there is very little shade and absolutely no grass. The outer edge of the enclosed park has trees lining the side near the drinking fountain, but the rest of it is at the mercy of the summer sun. I've never seen my dog or my friend's dog drink as much as the day we came here. We stayed maybe an hour or so, which is way less than we typically spend (2-3 hours at other parks). Was it because it was too hot? Not completely. It was also because there are absolutely no seats for owners. Will I be back? Perhaps. It's very close to my friend's place and if I move closer to the area it would be convenient in location (that's about it) for me. However, I think you'd be better off taking a trek to the suburbs for some greenery, space, and overall break from all the city concrete. read more

On the whole, this place is hit or miss. My assumption, though, is that most dog parks are. Be aware that the location recently moved down to on Avondale, just past Thorndale. The new location is about the same size, but has trees for shade in the summer (yay!) and some gravel, and a few nice new benches for the people (and ocasionally dogs who I assume must be allowed up on furniture at home). The good: lots of space for your dog to run and be a dog! I think it's a pretty decent size. The bag dispenser is always stuffed, and I try to contribute when I go (Lord knows those bitches are only taking up space in my kitchen cabinet). Bowls for water, and tens of tennis balls, plus a few rope toys. Brooms for sweeping out pee puddles. In the summer, there are even little kiddie pools filled with water for your dog to take a dip in. This place is generally pretty clean and the regulars here are wonderful. They'll remember your dog if you come often enough and are helpful and understanding if it's your puppy's first time ever at a dog park (thank you thank you thank you, amazing guy who had the courage to approach my very nervous Rottweiler-Doberman mix and show him everything was cool). The bad: Like any dog park, you're going to have good people and good dogs, bad people and dogs who may not have the best manners (because no dog is really a BAD dog, just an untrained one). A piece of advice: Know your dog, and know when your dog is having an unhealthy interaction with another dog. Use these interactions with other dogs to teach your dog the proper way to interact and behave. No one here will fault you for having a dog who may not have the best manners, as long as you are using those opportunities to correct your dog's behavior and teach them how to interact correctly. Overall, this is a great place to meet some great people (and dogs) who share your interest, while getting Fido (or Kujo, in my case) some exercise. read more

If you have small dogs I would not go here at the evening hours. It gets packed by big dogs with owners that don't care and laugh when their dogs pounce on smaller dogs. My wife tried taking our dog in and even before getting in the second gate a gang of bigger dogs all try to charge at my wife and dog. The owners of the big dogs all seem to know each other and just laugh at our dog when she was trying to run and escape from them. One of the dogs owner tries telling my wife that she needs to take our dog off the leash before coming in and that was the reason why her dog was aggrevaited. For one the rules say dog must be kept on leash till you get inside, second if a leash on another person's dog aggrevaites your dog then you have an aggressive dog and shouldn't be brought to the dog park. We had no problems with big dogs at other dog parks before cause other dog parks the dogs are actually behaved and trained not so much for this spot. Will definitely go to Portage Park next time even though its a little further. read more

Although I've never been to the original site, I can't compare the two. But compared to the Portage Park Dog Friendly Area, there isn't any. Norwood Park is twice the size of Portage Park DFA with room to expand. My dog Bruno actually has room to run! The Norwood Park Dog Association does a very good job of maintaining the area. Plenty of poop bags available. My only complaint is the use of gravel instead of sand. read more

Norwood Dog Friendly Area - Bruno at the park - Dog Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The dog park is great. I do like taking my dog to the lake because she loves to swim, but I'm pretty busy and don't have time to get in the car make the drive and let my dog run. This park is right by my house and I can get there and back home and have a tired happy pup in 1 hour. We are there almost every day. My dog runs after her ball the whole time she is there, with dips in the kiddy pool to cool off in the summer months. I've lived in Norwood Park for 45 years. Barking dogs...... well the busiest time of the day is 4-6pm and a few dogs may bark now and then, but it is nothing compared to the planes going over every 30 seconds. There are also about 10 trains coming during those hours, with kids at the pool, kids on the basketball court, kids on the baseball field and a few neighbors only hear the dogs???? Give me a break. I've made some great friends at the park and dogs who are socialized make for better pets and neighbors. The dog park is a fantastic addition to an already great park. Also the website mentioned about move the dog park...there are so many fallacies in this website. Read it but check the park out yourself and you will see that it is not what is stated on the website read more

Christine D is definitely right. I feel the exact same. There is a group of people there who think they run the show. It's a dog park.. Kind of ironic right.. Dogs will be dogs.. Anyway, I prefer wilmettes dog beach. This place is too small for my dog. He becomes dominant as opposed to the behavior he exerts at the beach. He's free to run around and plays with other dogs. read more

Great little dog area for our 4 legged family members. Lots of people and dogs just chatting and hanging out

This park is an accident waiting to happen. Two dogs have been killed here so far by bigger dogs. I wouldn't risk an injury by going here. Especially if you have a smaller dog. I don't bring my dog here. I'd rather exercise her in the yard where it's safe. read more

Compared to the Portage Park dog park this place is pretty filthy. The layout of the park is terrible and makes it seem smaller than it actually is. Some of the trees should be removed to open up the space. The people that go here aren't always very nice, just like someone else mentioned.. few folks think they run the place and have this bully mentality. Even though I live near this park now I very much prefer going to Portage. read more

My husky enjoyed this dog park. We came here today around 3pm and the ground was still covered in snow. It is a little difficult to find if everything is covered in snow and it's your first time in the area. It is behind the school. The best way to access the entrance is to walk from N Avondale Ave. There are three trash cans in front of it. There were plenty of poop bags, well organized too. I think the fountain water was frozen or too cold for the dogs to drink, so there were a ton of gallon water jugs/cartons to pour into the bowl set up likely by the community. It's a little loud when the train whizzes by, but still bearable. The park could have been bigger considering the giant baseball fields and school yards close by. I'm still wondering why they made it so small, especially in a neighborhood with lots of dog owners. Overall, this is great dog park less than 10 minutes from O'Hare. read more

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I brought my dog here for the first time today and he was attacked, completely unprovoked, by a pit bull. I was appalled by how rude the dog's owner was and by the fact that she did nothing to try and restrain her dog. Also, the overall atmosphere of this place isn't one I'd recommend. Most of the people were nice, but they weren't keeping very close tabs on their dogs. A few of the dogs were being kind of obnoxious (aggressively barking, humping, etc.), and none of the owners even attempted to correct the behavior. Then, when my dog was injured, they were all trying to manhandle him...one woman tried to give him treats without even asking me if she could (he has stomach issues and can't have them), and several other people were chain-smoking right there in the dog park (gross). It's a shame because the dog park itself is decent and relatively well-maintained. However, the community of people here isn't one I would recommend brining your dog around. I will never go back here. read more

My dog Zoe enjoys the time she spends with her pack and their owners to the tee great times always !!!! Never a dull moment I'll stay positive and the negitive shit let it go... read more

Oh so much nicer than the original!! Bigger, different areas for the dogs and even shade! Love it!

I had never been to a dog park before. I provide pet care and exercise to dogs, so I thought I should at least try it. I took a client's very large active and dominant dog, so I took great precaution to ensure he befriended dogs in a calm, disarming way. We went in the morning because I assumed (correctly) it was pretty empty. The other dog owners were quite responsible and friendly and their dogs, though large, active and dominant, got along with my dog well (after careful introductions). There was a large Christmas tree cutout on the fence, so I took a few pictures of the dog in front of the tree. There were a few balls and toys lying around, so we had a good time playing fetch. There was a bulletin board promoting camaraderie among dog owners, and the rules are clearly posted at the entrance of and around the park. I will definitely bring dogs there again, but I will be very careful; one of the dog owners in the park told me a small dog had been killed by a pit bull when the park first opened. read more

Norwood Dog Friendly Area - bam bam at the park 12-7-12 - Dog Parks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The park itself is good. Not a fan of all gravel or concrete parks, but I understand that with the amount of traffic that it sees and the ratio of the size of the area that grass would be ground up really quickly. My problem is with a couple in particular. It is an overweight human couple with a bobbed tailed white and black dog that is aggressive and picks fights with every dog I've seen there. They have been there 9 times out of the 10 times I've been there. Yelling at your dog from the bench is not going to reign in your dog. read more

Located in a nice neighborhood and one of the best dog parks I've been to in a long time. My dog loves the place and experienced no problems. Planning to go tomorrow with my boy, Milo! read more

This place was fine. Lots of dogs running around being dogs. Owners were friendly. One guy was giving dogs treats and owners candy canes. Fun. read more

This park is very spacious and clean. Dogs and owners are friendly. Water fountain wasn't working maybe due to season (early spring). Hopefully the water issue will be resolved soon. In the meantime, I'll bring a gallon jug and share. I will be returning often! Just for clarification, I have to state the following: My dog is Ace. He is a red doberman and friendly! He is NOT the doberman stated in another review. Don't mention breeds if negative. Stop giving breeds bad reputations! Thank you. read more

First time there, 60 seconds in, a major dog fight broke out. Not with my pup thank goodness but it was two-three dogs, one had the other by the neck. If you have a dog with an ounce of aggression, you don't take it to a dog park. It was pretty traumatic. I don't recommend. Wasn't impressed with the facility anyway. read more

The park is a decent size. Very clean. The dogs are typically well behaved (dogs will be dogs) but I can't say so much for the owners. There's definitely a group that thinks they own the whole place. This place seems to attract bullies. Every time I go, and I go at least twice a week since the Portage dog park has been closed, I see one of the regulars harass another owner. Horrible. read more

This park serves its purpose. To someone else's point, it used to be a hockey court that was split in half since the park district didn't want any more green space used to construct a new park. Concrete isn't ideal but at least there are no worries about flooding/mud/wood chip splinters etc. Compared to most city dog parks, it's a dream. And it's the only one within about a half hour drive of it's location. There isn't official seating but people do sit on the concrete "step" on the one edge of the court. I am there every day and have been for the last few years, as that is the only place I have to take my dogs off leash, and my dogs leave happy. That's all that matters. As for the "real" story....that is not accurate. Take what this person says with a grain of salt as he's clearly someone who's never used the park. The people did follow all the "guidelines" to get it constructed. It also got the alderman's and the mayor's approval. The neighbors are saying the dog park causes excessive traffic, is a sight for dog fighting and creates too much noise. As for the dog fighting, that's totally asinine. As for the traffic and noise, the dog park alone can't be blamed for that. Yet noone's petitioned against the hockey, tennis, basketball courts, the softball fields, the high school, the kids smoking and drinking there after hours, the children's park or the airplanes which produce more traffic and noise than the dog park. It's a public park. I love that I can stand on the sidewalk outside of it and that's ok but to be a responsible dog owner and walk through a gate, that creates a problem. See www.norwoodparkdogs.com. read more

Nice people and nice dogs. Coming from New York, we're accustomed to lots of small dogs at the local dog run, so when we arrived with our big guy and met lots of other big guys, it was a delight! Everyone was friendly and welcoming- really enjoyed it! read more