dog playground equipment

How the first dog park was founded and how it led to a boom in doggie playgrounds across the US

Few people know that when they are at play in a dog park, there was one woman, Doris Richard, who played a major role in the development of places for canines to play in America.

In fact, Doris was the founder of what is considered the first city dog park - Ohlone Dog Park in Berkeley, CA.

The first dog park had an interesting start.

The area chosen for the dog park was initially a vacant piece of land that remained after the construction of a BART subway station.

BART planned to use the land for residences. But a group of activists took over the property and called it "The People's Park Annex."

Part of the "People's Park" was used as an off-leash area where dogs could play.

Doris was instrumental in gathering petitions, working with the animal control workers and approaching city officials about officially designating the area for dogs.

City officials were skeptical at first. It's understandable,

King of the Hill ramp is just one of the agility pieces with today's selection of Dog Park Equipment

If you don't have a dog park with dog playground equipment in your neighborhood or multi-family community, you may want to organize a group and build one - for the benefits of both canines and owners.

Because here are some interesting statistics.

We all know that dogs benefit from having a designated space for them to play. They get out of the house. They can run around unleashed. And they can socialize with other dogs.

When you add in dog playground equipment, such as ramps, tunnels and hurdles, there are even more benefits. Dogs learn new tricks that stimulate them mentally. They interact with their owners, which they love to do. And they burn up all that pent-up energy from sitting indoors.

That's one reason why the number of dog parks across the country has skyrocketed in the past decade.

If you are interested in adding an off-leash place for pooches with dog playground equipment in

"My cats inspire me daily. They inspire me to get a dog," - Greg Curtis "There ain't a man livin' who hasn't talked to his dog." - Hank Williams "Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach." - Moby "Every dog is a lion at home." - Henry George Bohn "I poured spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone." - Steven Wright "We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet." - Rita Rudner "Asthma doesn't seem to bother me any more unless I'm around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar." - Steve Allen "What a dog I got, his favorite bone is in my arm." - Rodney Dangerfield "My fashion philosophy is, if you're not covered in dog hair, your life is empty." - Elayne Boosler "I was a dog in a past life. Really. I'll be walking down the street and dogs will do a sort of double-take. Like, Hey, I know him." - William Macy "This man used to go

Assorted dog park equipment - tunnel, table and hurdles at The Gates of Cedar Hill Apartments

Dog Park Equipment is now becoming a hot amenity with multi-family communities as a strategy to keep both their residents and canine-friends happy.

Take The Gates of Cedar Hill Apartments near Dallas in northeast Texas.

This is a beautiful gated community in Cedar Hill that goes beyond what many communities offer by providing their residents with more than just a place to live.

The appealing community also provides a clubhouse, swimming pool, volleyball court, fitness center, business center, on-site laundry facility, controlled access security and carports.

There's more. Nearly half of the US population owns a dog. And that number is growing. According to Statista, in 2000 there were 68 million dogs in the US. In 2017, that number of household hounds grew to 89.7 million.

This is one reason why The Gates also promotes itself as a pet-friendly residence. They make sure to provide amenities for

Dog park equipment that includes Paw-Themed bench near the entrance to fenced-in dog areas at North Beach Oceanside Park in Miami Beac

If you want to see a cool dog park, complete with a full array of dog park equipment, then you must visit the North Beach Oceanside Park in Florida.

"Cool" is the operative word for this park located at 8328 Collins Ave., Miami Beach for a number of reasons.

For one, the park is located on the Atlantic Ocean. Soothing cool breezes come off the water, blow over the beach and make their way to this 36-acre oasis where there are two dog parks.

Secondly, there is an area at the beach called "Bark Beach" designated for dogs. A great place to run and splash in the surf.

Third, the North Beach Oceanside Park is a botanical paradise. There are trees everywhere. And plenty of trees means plenty of welcome shade.

Doggy and Me drinking fountain

That's the setting for their great dog parks, located on the street side of the park. (Where there is plenty of parking by

Dog Park Kits like this one provide a package deal on several components to create an instant doggie agility playground

More and more parks and other facilities are now providing Dog Park Equipment to enhance their dog parks.

This month, Feb. 20, is national Love Your Pet Day. It's a good time to take another look at providing this great feature at your local dog park.

At the Park and Facilities Catalog we are seeing a huge and growing demand for dog playground equipment.

Hoops, tunnels, ramps, hurdles, stepping paws, weave posts.

Dog need exercise and pet owners love to see this agility equipment at their local dog parks.

For that reason, we are offering a special deal.

Buy a Dog Park Kit, get Two Benches FREE

Purchase a Dog Park Kit from us before March 31, and we will throw in Two Paw and Bone Benches for FREE.

Get two of these Paw and Bone dog park benches with the purchase of a Dog Park Kit for a limited time

These Dog Park Kits are the way to go. Our kits provide a package deal on

Some of the common traits of the best dog parks in America

Dog playground equipment, trails, ponds and dedicated volunteers can transform a mediocre dog park into a great one.

One thing is for sure - more and more cities are adding dog parks.

According to the National Recreation and Park Association, more than half of parks departments in the US now manage dog parks.

There are quite a few more dog owners today than ever before. According to the American Pet Products Association, more than 60% of households in the US own a dog.

Those dogs were not created to sleep on the floor all day. They need to get outside and run, jump and play. According to petMD, dogs need from 30 minutes to two hours of exercise EVERY day.

So, how do you make your dog park a success like some of the most popular dog parks in America?

There are several Best Dog Park lists floating around the web. We researched a few of them and came up with our list of some of the top characteristics of an awesome dog park.

We

A dog rests in the doggie crawl at a new dog park in Plainwell, MI

Dog park equipment should be included in any discussion about adding a dog park to a community.

Why? Because dog owners will be the first to tell you - their pets love to run, climb and jump.

That's what dogs are born to do. So it's imperative when a parks and recreation department announces plans to add a dog park, it's important that a discussion is held about what dogs will do once they get there.

Which is exactly what took place for the City of Plainwell Dog Park, in Plainview, MI recently.

The parks and recreation department there conducted some public meetings and asked citizens what they would like to see in the design.

According to Community Development Manager Denise Siegel, "Many residents spoke up about wanting to add agility equipment."

At planning meeting, public requests dog park equipment

The city then conducted a poll on their Facebook page asking for input and the type of dog agility equipment people would

The Trust for Public Land uses dog parks as one of the six amenities to rate parks as nearly 40% of American households own a dog

When we think of parks we tend to think of people but since nearly 70% of the population owns pets, we should probably think of dog parks and our canine friends as well.

In fact, that's what the Trust for Public Land did when they created their popular ParkScore feature.

ParkScore is a metric that determines how well a city provides adequate parkland for their residents.

The Trust ranks cities according to a number of criteria. The metrics include total park acreage, amount of funds invested in parks and recreation, park amenities and access.

The staff created a point system and awards points based on that criteria to determine the Top 100 Cities. The research is a good way for citizens and public officials to gauge how well their government is doing in regard to parks and recreation for local residents. And where they can make improvements.

In regard to park

Volunteer Kim Taber stands with a three hoop jump and fire hydrant dog hurdle. This new dog playground equipment is a new addition to the Florida Humane Society building in Pompano Beach

Dog playground equipment to enable our canine friends to exercise and have fun is now a new addition to the Florida Humane Society.

The Park and Facilities Catalog recently supplied a three-jump hoop and fire hydrant dog hurdle to this non-profit organization that provides a loving and safe home for dogs and cats in South Florida.

The Florida Humane Society started in 1993 and has grown to the point where it now helps almost 3,000 dogs and cats find "good and loving" homes every year.

To control the population of unwanted pets, the organization also offers a service to spay and neuter dogs and cats. This vital program treats 3,500 animals each year.

"We are dedicated to saving the lives of unwanted companion pets through adoption as well as aggressively striving to reduce the pet population through spay

Jose Grosfeld, kennel technician and Leighan Vinciguerra, administrative manager, stand next to dog park equipment donated by The Park and Facilities Catalog to Big Dog Ranch Rescue

The Park and Facilities Catalog recently donated several pieces of  dog park equipment to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee. Fl.

Their motto is "Big and small, we save them all."

 The spacious facility is truly an outstanding place for dogs. Since it started 10 years ago as Florida Weimaraner Rescue by local resident Lauree Simmons, and later expanded to help all breeds, the non-profit has rescued more than 19,000 of our furry friends.

In fact, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is the largest no-kill, cage-free dog rescue facility in the Southeast.

On a daily basis, the organization rescues dogs from shelters, unwanted litters or people who can no longer take care of their pets.

The group has also gained recognition for helping to rescue dogs from hurricane-damaged areas in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

According

Chow leaps over a hurdle as part of dog park equipment at a local facility

1. You can always find hope in a dog's eyes 2. Dogs are my favorite people - Richard Anderson 3. Everyone thinks they have the best dog. And none of them are wrong - WR Purche 4. Dogs do speak but only to those who know how to listen -Orhan Pamuk 5. Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend never owned a dog 6. There are no bad days when you come home to a dog's love 7. If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. That is the principal difference between a dog and a man - Mark Twain 8. Happiness is a warm puppy - Charles Shultz 9. Be the person your dog thinks you are 10. My dog winks at me sometimes and I always wink back in case its some sort of code 11. You don't own a dog. You have a dog. And the dog has you 12. There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face - Ben Williams 13. A dog is a friend who listens with his heart and replies with his tail

A happy terrier gets a workout on dog park equipment. More dog owners are realizing the benefits of training their dogs on this equipment for exercise and learning commands

By Gerald Dlubala

Think about the difference a few pieces of dog park equipment can make to a dog and their owner.

Research says that the relationship we have with our dogs is based on thousands of years of evolution.

Going back up to 8,000 years, dogs have been found buried next to their human counterparts, sometimes outfitted in extravagant collars, expensive robes, and laid next to gem-laden spoons and bowls.

The bond is not just emotional, say scientists. More recent studies have shown that when humans and dogs are together and making eye contact, the dog in fact, experiences the release of the hormone oxytocin as humans.

What is oxytocin, you ask? Well, that's the same hormone released when a mother lovingly looks upon her baby in her arms. So it's no wonder that there is such a bond between humans and their dogs.

Dog park equipment adds excitement to any dog park or multi-family community

By Susyn Stecchi

Are you looking to add an agility or obstacle course with dog park equipment to your park or multi-family community?

There are two types of dog agility courses. One is for professional championship trials that have to adhere to the standards of the various dog agility professional organizations such as the USDAA. The other is the informal, recreational type of dog playground equipment course, best suited for dog parks and multi-family housing.

Why would you want your dog to use dog park agility equipment? Agility training is a wonderful opportunity for you to partner with your dog as their coach and trainer while your dog gets to learn to approach and complete various obstacles, increasing your dog's confidence and giving it exercise at the same time. Any dog, regardless of breed or size, will benefit from agility exercise. But start slowly, just as you would when starting your own exercise program.

Dog playground equipmen

What do dog owners love? Dog parks and dog amenities where their dogs can burn off steam. There's a list of essential dog playground equipment that will make any dog park a success.

(By the way, here's a free and complete dog park guide on how to create your own popular play space for dogs and their owners).

If you are a park manager or a facility manager here is one number you really need to know - nearly 40% of ALL households in the US own a dog.

Think of the great service you can provide to nearly half the citizens in your area if you add a dog park. Dog parks are a great place where dogs can exercise, socialize with other dogs, learn obedience lessons and just blow off all that pent-up energy.

Research shows that 55% of parks departments now also manage a dog park.

If funds are not available, you can be sure to find thousands of passionate dog lovers in any town who can form a non-profit group to raise money.

Dog playground equipment comes in many forms

Here's