Ontario dog parks list and reviews

Find off leash dog parks across Ontario - select a city from the left to get started.

About this website

My name is Zoltan Wagner and I created this website to provide a comprehensive list of dog friendly parks in Ontario. I have spent a lot of time visiting dog parks across the province with my dog Daisy.

My goal is to visit each park (!), take pictures and review them to give dog owners accurate and helpful information about the parks. As of yet, many parks aren't reviewed so please be patient; I will get to them eventually.

Think outside the park

While I think dog parks are an excellent way to exercise and socialize your pup I also think that your dog should not be limited to the backyard/apartment and dog parks. I encourage you to train your dog properly using reward oriented methods and take your obedient pooch with you wherever you go. Hence, this website has listings of designated leash free ares and unofficial dog friendly parks as well.

Daisy's been to many parks

Arguably, dogs don't belong everywhere but sometimes their presence at non designated dog parks make people very ticked off. I personally don't think that the world will come to an end if the ball game is interrupted by a goofy little playful dog who just wants to play like the kids but not everyone shares my view on this. (Of couse, I'm talking about friendly, obedient dogs, not agressive ones.)

If a kid with no dog walks into the dog park nobody gets mad...

Canada is one of the best places to take your dog to public places, retail stores, even to work. Home Depot recently banned dogs because a dog bit someone inside one of their stores. (I wonder if they pushed a shopping cart over the dog's tail or something?) Go to Rona then. Elmpoyees at my local Rona welcome my dog with a big smile every time. Garden centres are also good places to take your dog. And of course pet stores. And your friend's house. And the list goes on...

Add new parks

I will keep adding new parks on an ongoing basis. If you wish to help and know of a dog-friendly park please send it in using the add a new park form. Many thanks for your help.

Help dogs in need

Not all dogs are lucky enough to have caring and loving owners. I will never understand why people abuse their dogs. How the once beloved puppy ends up spending his life on a chain, how people yank hard on the leash, yell at their dogs at the top of their lungs, beat them and not care about their health.

Please take every opportunity to raise awareness and educate people about proper dog keeping/handling. Adopt pets rather than buying them from large pet stores. Purchasing dogs from pet stores only supports commercial dog breeders who keep dogs in horrid conditions and care only about money. I have another dog-related project called Donate To Dogs. It's a non-profit website to raise awareness about the cruel conditions at puppy mills and to educate people about how the pet industry works. Find out how you can can help animals in just a few minutes. Remember, donations aren't the only way to help dogs; there are many things you can do without spending a dime.

Dog food, pet stores

Let me finish this page with two quick thoughts:

Check the ingredients list on the back of the food bag and make sure that meat is listed as the first ingredient. By-products are not what you want to feed your dog. That's roadkill and stuff from meat processing facilities that are labelled not suitable for human consumption.

Adn pick your pet store carefully. Large pet store chains care little about animals. They make every effort to make it look like they do but they only want your money. Some dedicated employees genuinely care and try to help you and your pets until they realize that no matter what they do, the chain will keep selling choke collars, pinch collars, shock collars and junk food despite the obvious fact that these products *hurt animals*.

Spend those extra ten bucks and go to a pet store that cares about your dog.

Advertising

Ads range from $5-$20/month. If you would like to place an ad on this site please contact me with details of the ad. Your ad can be placed virtually anywhere, you pick a place for it and I get back to you with the costs.

About me and the reviews

I try to be as objective as possible but I have included a few biased thoughts in some reviews. After all, it's my website, let me say what I think:) I recognize the work and dedication of the upkeepers of the parks (mostly volunteers) and thank you all for caring and providing a place for dogs to safely run around. Please don't take negative thoughs in reviews an attack against the park but not everything is always nice and dandy and reviews are only meaningful if along with the good stuff the flip side of the coin is discussed as well. If you wish to make a correction, update or comment please follow the link on the bottom of each review. For the record, I have a golden retreiver, she is playful, sometimes shy, loves kids and is kind of afraid of cats. I believe in training based on positive reinforcement and I want my dog to listen to me because she accepts me as her leader and not because she fears me. What bothers me about (dog) parks is not mud or tall grass but people who throw cigarette butts on the ground, leave shit on the ground and don't treat their dogs right.