Helen Putnam Dog Park

The Helen Putman Dog Park is an off-leash dog park in Cotati, California, about 10 miles from Petaluma. The dog park is part of the Helen Putman Regional Park, which is on the city's Myrtle Avenue by Park Avenue. This dog park in Cotati is a fenced-in area of the main park where dogs can run free without being tethered to their pet parent by a leash. 

Walking through the main park, they do need to be kept on a leash and zones such as the children's playground should be avoided. So should the baseball field, the soccer field, and the picnic area. Leash length has a general restriction applied by state law and shouldn't be any longer than six feet. Once a pup is through the gates of the designated off-leash zone, that's the moment to let it go. 

Yes, the dog park is a little out of the way as it is at the rear of the park, but the walk is worth it. While it might not be the biggest of off-leash dog parks in Sonoma County, any space for off-leash exercise is better than none. Even though the dog park in Cotati isn't huge by anyone's standards, pet parents still need to keep an eagle eye on their pups. This is a shared size zone too so being vigilant is even more important. 

No pet parent wants unintentional harm to come to any dog using the facility nor for their pup to be the cause of it. If a dog does start anti-social behavior, they must be leashed and taken out of the dog park for some cooling off time out. It's all too easy for a dog to get over excited when running with the pack in a dog park environment and it's up to the owner to keep control of each and every situation which might arise.