How Chicago Compares To Other US Cities For Dog Parks

CHICAGO — With the first day of spring comes an influx of four-legged friends. It’s no secret that puppy season is upon us — National Puppy Day is Saturday — and that means dog parks will start to see some new faces.

But a new report shows where you live dictates whether Fido can run, chase and play with other dogs.

Chicago unfortunately didn't even make it into the top 50 ranking for dog parks, the nonprofit said — the city was ranked 55th in the country, out of a total of 101 cities. That’s according to annual rankings released Thursday by the Trust For Public Land, a nonprofit dedicated to creating parks and protecting land for people.

The report found there were 25 off-leash dog parks in Chicago last year. That equates to 0.9 dog parks per 100,000 residents. Dog parks were defined as off-leash areas for dogs, and the organization only looks at dog parks on public land.

There were 810 off-leash dog areas in the nation’s 100 largest cities last year, the report found. That’s a 4.8-percent increase over 2018 and a whopping 74-percent increase since 2009, the first year the report was issued.

While New York City has the most dog parks with 145, Boise once again claimed the top spot in the rankings with 13 dog parks per 100,000 people. Here are the top cities for dog parks and the number of off-leash dog areas per 100,000 residents:

1. Boise, ID — 5.7
2. Portland, OR — 5.4
3. Henderson, NV — 5.0
4. Norfolk, VA — 4.8
5. San Francisco, CA — 4.0
6. Tampa, FL — 4.0
7. Las Vegas, NV — 3.9
8. Madison, WI — 3.9
9. Oakland, CA — 3.8
10. Arlington, VA — 3.5

The rankings are especially useful in identifying dog park deserts. Both Boise and Los Angeles, for example, have 13 dog parks, but whereas Boise has about 227,000 residents, Los Angeles has over 4 million. That means there’s just 0.3 dog parks per 100,000 residents, making Los Angeles the seventh worst city for dog parks.

Having off-leash dog areas is incredibly important in this day and age. As many as 40 percent of households have as many dogs as they do kids under 17. And canine-friendly areas come with numerous social, mental and physical benefits for humans and dogs alike.

Charlie McCabe, director of the Center for City Park Excellence at the land trust, told Patch that dog parks are one of about two-dozen amenities the organization tracks every year. Others include pickleball courts, splash pads and public restrooms.

But dog parks get the most attention.

“I think that’s because they’re so visible in cities across the United States with people living in more multi-family and multi-residential buildings,” McCabe said. “They’re looking for spaces that they can walk their pups or let them off leash and run around a little bit.”

McCabe said it can be tough to build them, though, because they impact communities differently. That might explain why six cities had zero off-leash areas for canines: Garland, Texas; Hialeah, Florida; Indianapolis; Newark, New Jersey; and Santa Ana, California.

“Parks are shared space,” said McCabe. “And they’re used by many people for many different reasons. And if you’re creating a fenced-off area, you’re dedicating that space.”

Most cities and neighborhoods must engage with residents before building a dog park to alleviate any concerns and make sure everyone’s needs are met. These talks, which can be fairly extensive, look at questions such as whether there are underlying fears about dogs or noise issues. Discussions also take place around whether the space is surrounded by tall buildings where sound may carry, not to mention that some cities have laws around dog parks.

“These are all things that need to be taken into account,” said McCabe.

And that’s to say nothing of funding, which is typically a mix of public money and community fundraising efforts.

But even with those hurdles, dog parks remain one of the fastest-growing amenities.

“A couple years ago we started noticing these things were growing like crazy,” McCabe said.

Overall, that’s a good thing. Dog parks are built for dogs, but they’re a fantastic resource for people, too.

“As anyone who has chatted with a neighbor while taking their four-legged friend to the dog park knows, community is created there,” Diane Regas, president and CEO of the land trust organization, said in a release. “Having places to meet our neighbors can help us find common ground and encourages everyone to get outside.”

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.