Grandview Park Off Leash Dog Area

You have to give it up to dog people. It's hard these days to find a group of people willing to put away their personal and political differences for a larger goal, and yet, when you tell a dog person that there is a task of some sort to be accomplished for dogs, they will forget everything else. Your politics don't matter. Your race doesn't matter. What sports teams you support don't matter. Everything falls away when there's a dog, or dogs, in need.

In 2000, Seattle dog lovers noticed that the only off-leash dog park in the area was actually miles away, in Redmond. That meant that an estimated 45,000 dogs would have to travel over an hour away. And the dog lovers knew that they could do better.

And so Serving Our Dog (SODA), helped the residents to develop their own dog park. The group got permission to rehabilitate a closed county park. Suddenly, hundreds of volunteers came out to help city workers revitalize and remodel the park. Local churches held fundraisers, and Boy Scout troops built benches and kiosks. Local builders donated materials to make an agility course. Pretty soon, Grandview Off-Leash Dog Park opened.

Grandview got its name from an absolutely gorgeous view of Mt. Ranier, which looms over the city of Seattle. The park is 37 fenced acres and has miles and miles of walking trails, trails which are paved, graveled, covered in cedar chips, or just dirt. 

There are an agility course and open fields for open play or dog training. In fact, the park has several separate fields, but no separate enclosure for small or infirm dogs. Dog owners are advised that they are responsible for making sure their dogs do not bother others.

A lot of love went into Grandview, and so did a lot of thought. The park has a lot of benches, both covered and uncovered. There are a number of small kiosks where people and pets can take cover from Seattle's legendary rain. The park is owned and maintained by a small battalion of volunteers. The love they feel for their dogs can be clearly seen in the exemplary condition of the park.