Dog walking in Tempe

Gililland

Dogs living in Gililland have it made in the shade! Mitchell Park, located at Mitchell Drive and 9th, offers a large, fenced-in dog park for some off-leash running, and nose-to-tail conversations with fur-iends.  The enclosure is part grass, dirt, and gravel and is well-maintained by the city. A colorful playground gives companion children some exercise, and covered ramadas and benches give all a chance to take a break from day-to-day tasks. Just don’t forget to bring a leash if you want to explore other areas of the park. Bring your own water along, too, for those dog days of Arizona summer.

NTNA West Rio

The Ntna-West Rio neighborhood in the northern part of Tempe is home to some of the wealthiest dogs in the city.  This neighborhood has some Southwest style mansions, and dogs live in comfort and are driven around in Jaguars. Oh, how some dogs have it made! But there are no snobby dogs in this neighborhood as all sorts of breeds get together at the Papago Dog Park at Curry Road and College Avenue. No dog is too good to give or get a good sniff. This off-leash enclosure has a lot of space for dogs to get acquainted. Papago Park also has some luxurious on-leash walkways, a nice pond to dip a nose, tail or toe in, and some covered picnic tables.

Sunset

The Sunset neighborhood of Tempe reflects the beauty of successful people living with their much-loved dogs. Dogs in Sunset are lucky because one of the city’s five dog parks is found here.  The Jaycee Park at 5th Street and Hardy has a small leash-free dog enclosure. The larger Jaycee Park also has a playground, community center, softball fields, basketball courts, ramadas, and grills, but your dog will need to be on a leash to sniff out these areas of the park. Why not make a day of it and bring the kids along for a little exercise? Or you could have a cookout. (Just try to resist the puppy dog eyes Fido is sure to give you when he sees your hot dog.)

Clark Park

This Tempe community loves its dogs, who can be found lending an ear to the drum circle or eyeing the produce of a community garden. One of the city’s five dog parks is also located in this neighborhood in Creamery park at 8th Street and Una. This dog park is relatively small, which means small dogs will benefit most from running in it. While the dog park may not be big enough to exercise Hugo the Huge Wolfhound, the park does have enough space for an on-leash walk-about if he needs to stretch his legs. Don’t forget to bring a leash if you want to explore other areas of the park.