Dusty Rhodes Park

We bring our dog with us everywhere and on weekends, we especially want to give him a place to run and play with other dogs. When we’re downtown, this park is not too far away and it’s a good sized park.
Parking is a bit tight on Saturdays. It’s a good park and easily accessed.

First time here and we had a really positive experience!!! The park has separated sides for small dogs and larger dogs. There is a good amount of grass and some dirt areas but overall the area is huge and a great place for the dogs to socialize and run to their hearts desire! Many friendly pups and owners! We will definitely be going back.

I love bringing my dogs to this park! They have two gated sections (one for big dogs and one for the smaller dogs). However if you feel comfortable bringing your smaller pet into the larger dog area you can, but big dogs are really allowed into the small area especially since the overall area is small. That have some poop bags available just in case you don’t have any with you. People who come are usually friendly. Also if you forget a ball to play with for your pet you can usually find some if you walk around. They have chairs and some tables if you feel like lounging and letting your pet just run around and play.

good times

I love this place, come here a few times a week.
Love the fact the small yippy dogs are isolated from the normal dogs. More so because the people that usually own those dogs are bizzarre and hyper protective.
Avoid this place on weds mornings though. The park is comprised of mostly dirt and sand. However, for some reason there is a fairly hostile ‘caretaker’ who feels it necessary to mow the dirt and sand in the park on weds mornings. If you try to utilize the park, he will get testy and yell at you.
It’s all pretty silly. Most the people that go here are pretty cool, but i have experienced my share of weirdos and self proclaimed ‘dog experts’ here. As such, i try to go early in the morning when there is less people here.
Have fun, this is a great big wonderful dog park. At least a couple hundred yards long each way. So you can really huck the ball if you have a retriever.

nice place. nice people and nice all around first experience at a dog park. I do not live down here but if i’m in the area with my dog again, I will definitely stop by

Still, issues with aggressive dogs. Definitely STAY AWAY if you have a young or a non-​aggressive dog.
We stayed away from here for awhile after our initial bad encounters, but decided we will try out different times and hopefully miss the aggressive dogs.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to not have a run-​in with an aggressive dog at this dog park, which is a total shame because there really are some awesome dogs here that are not aggressive and just want to play and get some energy out. It’s soooo sad to me that a few aggressive dogs and irresponsible owners can ruin a great thing for your dog.
Nika (sp?) is a problem and the owner is the most irresponsible dog owner I’ve ever met. Do stay away from here if you see or hear Nika. If you’re a somewhat regular here you will get to know Nika very well, and not for good reason.
Today, my fiancé and I were there with our loving 1 year old Golden Retriever. As soon as we saw Nika we put our dog on a leash to head out (because Nika has attacked our dog before). I think Nika saw that our dog was more compromised (because he was on a leash), so he came from behind and started aggressively attacking our dog (bulled him over and continuously bit hard on his neck). It literally looked like he wanted to kill our dog. Nika did not release when our dog was Unilocaling non-​stop. Luckily the owner of another dog (not Nika’s irresponsible owner) and my fiancé were able to rip Nika off from our dog.
Nika’s owner is the most self-​centered inconsiderate person I have ever met and should not own a dog that he cannot properly keep in line. He never apologized and when we asked him to leave he sarcastically said «ok» and kept along with his business. He did not leave. We, along with many others scared for their dogs’ safety, left the park.
We tried calling to report this, but there is nothing we can do. The lady we talked to showed no empathy for our dog getting attacked and basically said it’s our fault (the victim) for taking our dog there.
In my opinion, Nikas owner needs a reality check — if he wants to own a dog he has to be responsible, which clearly he’s demonstrated he is not. Until aggressive dogs like Nika are somehow driven out of this dog park, I HIGHLY recommend you go somewhere else, or just don’t take your dog to a dog park.
It’s totally unacceptable to me that the victim is in the wrong in this situation. We won’t be taking our puppy anymore, and I HIGHLY advise you do the same, ESPECIALLY if you have a young or submissive dog. That’s the type that Nika attacks.

This is a good park. Large area for the large dogs. Has a fountain for the dogs. It’s dirt, so that’s a bummer sometimes. Specially after a rain. There is an additional space for the large dog area. Plenty of chairs to sit in. There is also a small dog area. Has plenty of shade. There is a kids playground on the same park grounds. The large green space outside the fenced space is beautiful. But dogs do have to be leashed there. Dog beach is only a couple minutes away so that’s a huge plus!

This park is filthy. My pup got an infestation of bird mites from this park, they were covering her entire body! I noticed them right when we got back into the car and they’re impossible to get rid of. Beware that this park is not cleanly or well kept. These mites are like ticks and they cling onto your pup. Seriously will NEVER attend this park again.

I am so happy to have this local dog park, where my son and I can help run my 8month old rescue and her puppy energy out. She has made some great friends.
I just wish there was more grass and less dirty. But I am grateful for this park!

This park has gone from good to crap. Dirt lot with no grass. There is a group of owners that sit in the shade and take no responsibility for their dogs or the actions of their dogs. Too many times one of their dogs starts a fight and they could care less. Wish the city of OB would just overhaul this place!

I don’t get why this park has such a high rating. It is a dump. Decided to go here to check it out and I would rather drive a hour away to go somewhere else. No one picks up after their dogs here, its just dirt and theirs holes everywhere.

This is my go to park for our doggy. I like how it’s divided into small and large dogs. The park itself is big and there’s lots of space for the dog to run around and get their adequate exercise. There are chairs and picnic benches to sit on. I would be weary of the chairs since the dogs love to pee on them =/​. There’s ample water and poo bags to be had. There’s ample parking at least in the times I’ve went.
Great park and I keep coming back so our Finn can get his exercise and also make some pup friends.

This park is huge and has plenty of shade trees during the hotter times of the day. I wish people would clean up better after their dogs, there are countless «gifts» all over. There are also lots of holes (dug by dogs & gophers) so keep an eye on your pup so they don’t get hurt. Location is great and Bubba loves it!

This was my first time at the dog park. I have a 4 month american bulldog and he is extremely shy. This was his first time socializing with other dogs and he had a blast. There are a lot of well behaved dogs at the park to help puppies know right from wrong.
There are a few owners that don’t have control of their dog but overall it is a great park! They split the dogs by weight and it works out very well! I highly recommend this park!

Separate small and big dog areas? Check
Shaded areas? Check
Water dog fountains? Check
Places to sit? Check
Poop bags? Check
Grass? Check
Parking? check-​ish. As long as you’re not competing with a little league soccer game, parking isn’t a problem.
Really what more could you ask for?

Pros:
This is our neighborhood dog park.
The dogs have such a great time here. It’s huge, which is nice because they have a lot of room to chase the ball. It’s also good when you need to get away from dogs whose owners don’t know how to act. The only problem is when people like that hang out at the only entrance to the park.
Cons:
When people’s dogs attack other dogs yet they refuse to leave. Pro tip: Don’t bother calling SDPD. They can’t do anything about it. Apparently your only recourse is a civil suit after your animal is attacked. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.
A lot of holes that can cause injury when your dog is chasing the ball.
Overall, if you keep an eye out for bad owners and leave when they arrive, you and your dog will have a great time!

This is my favorite dog park in SD. It seems I’ve become quite the connoisseur since getting a dog a few months ago…
The main reasons I like it are these:
— It’s divided into separate areas for big and small dogs
— It’s mostly grass – not all sand/​dirt (like Nate’s at Balboa Park)
I have a small-​ish dog that can get scared by big dogs. She used to be fine with them, but I think she either got a little hurt or scared once after playing with some, and now is fearful of the parks where bigs mix with smalls.
I don’t understand why all dog parks are not divided into two parts. It makes life a lot easier for everyone. The big dog owners don’t have to constantly worry about whether their dog is getting too aggressive with a small dog, and vice versa. Everyone’s happy.
Also, since my dog is white, I can’t take her to the parks that are all dirt because I don’t feel like washing her every dang day.
I also like that there are plastic chairs you can sit on. There’s a water fountain, too. And the park is completely fenced, so if you have an escape artist, you are safe.
Dislikes? About half the time, the poo bag dispenser is empty. Also, I *have* to wear pants because my legs get all bitten up if I wear shorts. Mosquitos? Fleas? No idea, but it leaves me itchy. weird.

My dog loves this park! Plenty of room to run with lots of grass. Small Dogs and big dogs have seperate gated areas, so it puts Mom (me) at ease while he plays. It’s not too far from the beach so the weather is nice, as are the dogs and people.
Great Dog Park!

Dog Heaven!
Here’s the breakdown of the dog park in OB.
–Our dogs love it here! There’s so much room and lots of different terrain for them to mess with. This could be a good or bad thing. There’s grass, sand, dirt, ditches, pot holes, shade, trees, dirt, sand, more dirt… I think you get the picture! If your dog is a digger, don’t you worry cause they can definitely go to town here!
–There is a doggy fountain. Of course, if you’re afraid of giardia, please make sure you bring your own water source.
–There are doggy bags available. From all the times I’ve been here, they have been plenty stocked. There are not all over the place, so make sure you grab some as you walk in, so you aren’t having to look for one when you really need it.
–Pets don’t pick up after themselves. Well, duh, right? Okay, so that means OWNERS don’t pick up after their dogs! Not cool. It’s not all the time, but there are land mines there, so WATCH OUT!
–It is now separated into two dog parks for small dogs and then medium to large. I guess I agree with this change, but I can see where people are coming from.
–Trash cans are outside the dog park along the fence line. Not much more to say about this.
–For the most part, the other owners are pretty cool. On rare occasion, you get ones that aren’t too friendly, but I wouldn’t worry about that.
–Parking is okay, but it can be bad.
There you go! Don’t hesitate to bring your canines here! There doesn’t really seem to be any packs here at any point. Enjoy the beautiful weather in OB and have fun at this dog park! I’ll see you out there!