Tompkins Square Dog Park

The first official dog run in New York City, Tompkins Square Dog Park is a beautiful space maintained by volunteers and community members. In 2008, it underwent a nearly half-million dollar renovation, which was spearheaded by the Friends of First Run. The park has double gated entries for safety and features a small dog area and a large dog area. The ground is made up of decomposed granite, which is a fine gravel type material and is supposed to be comfortable for your pup's paws.

The park is surrounded by lush trees, providing lots of shade for you and your pup on those hot summer days. If your dog is a fan of the water, there are also doggie pools for him to splash around in. The pup pool area is on cement and there is underground drainage, so the mud is minimal. If your dog does get dirty, you can hose him off before leaving and let him dry off on the walk home. As the human in clean clothes, you may not want to splash in the pup pool, but you can still keep cool on those sunny days. There are plenty of benches under trees and along the park edges for you to sit and talk to other dog owners. The park has picnic tables, too, if you feel like chatting with some owners.

Like all dog parks in New York City, make sure your dog is wearing his collar with ID tag and rabies vaccination tag. Your dog should not chase small animals like squirrels or birds, and he should respond to your call. Most importantly, be a good visitor and clean up after your dog. Bring your own poop bags and dispose of it in the garbage cans provided. 

Strongly supported by the community, this park is a popular spot for many community members. The park not only is available throughout the year, but the Halloween Dog Parade was dubbed the largest in the United States. If you're looking for a strong sense of community-both canine and human-this might be the park for you.