St. Pete is home to more than 150 parks, offering a wide variety of possible activities. There are over 100 picnic areas, 80 playgrounds, 44 miles of fitness trails, 30 basketball courts, 21 boat ramps, 11 softball fields, six dog parks, five beaches, three skate parks, two disc-golf courses, and one Jai-Alai court. But that’s not all! We also have 76 tennis courts. 33 football/ soccer fields, 31 baseball fields, nine volleyball courts, four historic sites, three nature preserves, and one splash pad. And, still, there’s more! Simply put, choose an activity (or choose to just relax) and there’s a city park that fits your needs.
“Dog Parks Unleashed!” It’s not just the humans that benefit from our fantastic park system. Our pups also have their own places to play. Historically, the first dog park launched in the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1980s as a response to urbanization, the proliferation of leash laws, and shifting ideas about the role dogs play in our lives. The idea quickly spread. By the new millennium, at least 500 dog parks welcomed unleashed frolicking and, according to the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, as of 2019 the nation’s 100 biggest cities have over 810 dog parks. Today, St. Pete is an enthusiastic supporter of the idea, ranking number 15 in the Trust for Public Land’s list of “dog-parkiest” cities, but it’s not always been that way. As Dr. Welch Agnew, assistant director of Pinellas County’s veterinary services, noted in early 2001, the county “has been slow to bite on the trend” and even when locals expressed initial interest, its eventual success was not immediately foreseeable.
“going bow wow for dog parks”
The local debate over the idea of a dog park echoed the arguments made nearly two decades prior in San Francisco. Like that western bay area, St Pete was changing. Increased urbanization and a growing population of people and dogs squeezed everyone closer together. With that shift came a call for more stringent leash laws and rise in the number of “law-breaking” dogs. North Shore Park, in particular, became a bone of contention as it turned into an increasingly popular “illegal gathering” spot for frolicking leash-free dogs. With battle lines drawn, the park’s department was caught in the middle but in March, they decided (after much debate) to move forward: “We’re being cautious … [but] let’s try one.’” Despite the concerns of some, the first Dog Park at Coquina Key was a rousing success and by November, a second park had opened at Crescent Lake. That same year, dog parks opened throughout Tampa Bay, including in Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Largo, and Clearwater as Tampa Bay finally went “bow wow for dog parks.”
Dog Days
Over the years, Coquina Key and Crescent Lake have been joined by locations at Kenwood, Lake Vista, North Shore, and Walter Fuller bringing the total to six. All six locations open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset and they all include fenced off separate spaces for both small and large dogs. The parks also have rules designed to keep doggies and their humans safe and happy, including requirements to clean up dog waste, limits on the number of dogs per person, and prohibitions of both aggressive dogs and puppies under four months old. Details regarding locations, rules, and each park’s maintenance schedule can be found on their website. stpeteparksrec.org/dogparks
Thanks
Thanks to the Parks & Recreation Department for all they do! For more information any of St. Pete’s many parks visit stpeteparksrec.org or call (727) 893-7441.
