South Run Dog Park

I’ve only been here once and I think it’s a great dog park. The only thing is my pup is NOT A FAN. She would be if she had the whole place to herself or to just small dogs. But since it’s a mixed crowd and she discriminates against larger dogs, this isn’t the place for her.
Otherwise, it’s a great park. It’s huge, has a trail and lots of great natural obstacles. Definitely a fantastic park for the explorers and large active dogs!

I’ve been taking my puppy here since she was 4 months (she’s now 9 months). Overall, south run dog park is THE place for socializing your dog! Plastic bags are always available. For the most part the fellow owners are quick to act if there is aggressive behavior or pull back on their dog if it is bothering other dogs. There are plenty of water bowls but unfortunately no water hose which I think would really add to it. I recommend finding a schedule for your dog to go consistently during the week rather than the weekends.

I take my pup here a few times a week. There is a lot of space for her to run and she enjoys socializing and meeting new dogs. Most of the other dogs (and their owners) are well behaved. The few times I’ve witnessed dog on dog aggression the owners stepped in to quickly break it up. There is an occasional owner that doesn’t pay attention and clean up after their dog, but most people are usually responsive if you alert them. There are a few regulars who are cliquey and act like they own the place. I just avoid them and stay on the other side.

This is our 3^rd favorite park in Va. 1^st is Annandale due to best «regulars» crowd, 2^nd is Glen Carlyn due to swimming creek, but this park is big enough to accommodate large crowds so it is our club meeting location.
We have been to this one about once a month for 3 years now and have yet to witness any incidents of serious fighting or bad dogs bullying. The area is so big people lose track of their dog so you have to watch out for poop along the perimeter. Overall it is excellent but 20 minutes further than other parks for me so it isn’t practical to make it a daily routine to make it here.

Took my puppy here today because we’ve been looking for a good dog park to socialize my puppy (she’s friendly towards people but very very VERY shy towards other dogs) and this park was great (: although it was mostly large dogs there were about four or five small dogs that she was able to play with. We brought our own bowl for her to drink water from and she loved the agility courses and just letting out all her energy. There is some dog poop lying about (but that’s a given for just about every dog park) and there were two dogs that were humping everything. The people are great once you start a conversation but if you don’t go up to them they won’t go up to you. The only issues I really had was that there was one dog that actually jumped on top of my boyfriends dog (he’s a male and so was the other dog) and he started humping my boyfriends dog and almost got him. The owner watched on and didn’t make any attempt to stop the dog and my boyfriend separated them immediately and we left. Other than that it’s a great place to take your dog (:

I’ve been taking my puppy here for the last six months or so… He loves it! I typically tend to go during the week but I’ve never had a problem when I’ve gone on the weekend.
PROS:
1) The people are great. Some can be a bit standoffish, but if you take the time to talk to them and ask about their dog, they’ll usually come around :)
2) It’s HUGE. My dog is very athletic and loves to run.
3) I love that they have balls, ramps, and other play things for the dogs available. Saves me from losing his there.
4) Whenever there has been a fight or other behavioral issue, they have been handled correctly (for the most part).
5) My boy has severe anxiety. This place has been crucial in getting him socialized with people, dogs, and children. Everyone has been very understanding and will go out of their way to hand him a treat and make him comfortable. He is not 100% yet, but is getting there.
CONS:
1) My puppy got giardia here. Not fun. As a college student I really don’t seek to spend anymore at the vet than I have to. I tend to bring his own bowl now, but I still have to follow him around to make sure he isn’t sneaking into the other ones.
2) The dirt ground. It irritated my dogs eyes so bad one time, he had a stye develop on his eye. And as he is still a puppy, he can also be clumsy. He’s fallen and gotten cut because of all of the rocks. I don’t know if more grass could be grown– but it’d be nice if at all possible.
3) Sometimes people will bring their children… and not properly teach them how to act around the dogs. Which results in them running around and screaming. which causes dogs to chase and or bark at them. I’d rather not see anyone get hurt if it can be easily avoided.
This is overall a really great place to go to. Will definitely continue to go as it is so close to my house.

Great place wish it was grass it has been a mud pit for over a month now but my dog loves the space and the other dogs are pretty well behaved. Dog owners seem standoffish and rude but I like dogs more then people so great place for me.

We take our dog there almost daily. The first pic of the yellow & black dog we believe is our black lab Wylie. Most folks are friendly and both owners & dogs form cliques. Sometime have to shout out for «poopers» to pick up. Its pretty well kept up & provides a variety of turf, woods, sun & shade.
Wish there was running water & a way to enforce suspension of dogs who are aggressive on a regular basis but keep returning. There are a few that even after words with the owner still dont have a clue that they should not bring their pups. You’d think after a few «attacks» that result in blood would be enough (yes Mr. Big Guy who owns the Akita im talking about you!)

I’m very fond of the South Run dog park, but there are several improvements that could be made. Overall, it’s conveniently located, has plenty of playing space, and always has lots of visitors.
The space is extremely spacious, and has plenty of room for the dogs to run around. It also includes several big rocks and wooden obstacles (hurdles, inclines, ect.) for them to play on. Typically the larger dogs stay on one side of the park, and the smaller dogs stay on the other. But there is not a lot of grassy terrain within the park, and it is very dusty. This also means dirty/​muddy paws. It would be nice to see the park try to grow some new grass, and ideally install new fencing.
There are also several sitting areas, both shaded and in the sun for owners to chat while the dogs play, unfortunately some owners take this as an invitation to pay attention to other things/​let their dogs behave as they please. Usually never really have a problem with doggy behavior unless the owners are being careless. But watch out for doggy «doo», many owners do not clean up after themselves and unfortunately cleaning up after the pets is not strictly enforced. Also, bowls are also left out for owners to dispense water for the dogs, which is a nice perk.

We took our 8-​month-​old dog nearly everyday while visiting family over the holidays. Such a nice big space for him to run and play at. I think the fenced area may be around an acre.
Nice ramp and hurdles although he doesn’t quite understand these yet. Plenty of dogs for him to socialize with. It can get muddy in parts but I expect that given all the dog trampling that goes on.
Conveniently located near recreation fields, gym, and pool, as well as wooded walking trails.

I love this park because it is actually in a rec park area. There are always lots of people, and usually lots of dogs. The space is large with mostly rock/​dirt ground cover and some grass. There are benches for people and a jump for dogs. There are always tennis balls around, but remember to bring water because there isn’t a hose.
Overall waaay better than the Herndon one.

The good:
It’s a huge space, and there are always tons of tennis balls/​random toys for dogs to play with. There are multiple water bowls, and most owners are good about bringing water to help refill since there is no area nearby to fill the bowls. There are always lots of dogs here to play with.
The bad:
1. The owners who bring their dogs here are horrible. They sit on the furthest side of the yard away from their dogs, chatting with others/​talking on the phone/​reading/​smoking, not even paying attention. The past few times I’ve been here, there have been at least 20 dogs, so imagine how chaotic it gets when a dog fight breaks out and dog owners aren’t there to pull their dogs apart. My husband was there once when a family brought in two 9 week old boxer puppies, and the pet owners basically sat back and did nothing as their poor dogs got trampled on by the older, larger dogs (not to mention that 9 week old puppies are not properly vaccinated to be at a dog park). Since no one else seems to be watching their dog, you have to keep a VERY close eye on your dog, like follow him a few steps behind, so you can be there in case something happens.
2. Dog behavior is horrible (not surprising based on their owners’ behaviors) — there are dogs that are way too aggressive or dominant and should not be at a dog park. Everytime I go, I see overly possessive dogs showing teeth and nipping when playing with the communal toys, dogs showing dominance either chasing other cowering dogs or trying to climb on each other, or dog fights breaking out. There have been a few times where other dogs picked on mine since he’s just a fun-​loving passive yellow lab, and the other dogs’ owners aren’t there to help pull their dogs off or correct their behavior. Just today, a lady accidentally got bit as she was trying to stop 5 dogs from fighting without help from the other dog owners. Outside of pulling their dogs away, I’ve rarely seen dog owners correct bad behavior. You can bet that if my dog picks a fight or shows dominance over another dog, he’d be properly disciplined. If you find a dog owner here who says they haven’t had any issues, then they’re probably one of the non-​attentive owners with the problematic dogs.
3. As a result of the not-​so-​attentive dog owners, there are doggy «land mines» everywhere because owners don’t pick up after their dogs. If you have a dog that’s super curious or has an appetite for these things, then you REALLY have to keep close to your dog.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many other dog parks in this area. As long as you’re SUPER attentive and ready to stick your hand in to protect your dog, then you should be fine. If you have a very small, passive, or anti-​social dog, then high-​traffic hours at this park is not the place for you.

The place is huge which is a plus and recently they added a large a-​frame ramp for the dogs to go up and over (when there’s not people sitting all over it). The majority of the wide open area is clay and rocks with some trees and grass along the fences.
This place is big enough that it could be split into 2 dog areas (one for larger breeds and one for smaller breeds). It couldn’t hurt for there to be more benches for people to sit as currently people tend to sit on the a-​frame.

Very spacious. It’s mostly dirt and rocks which doesn’t seem good for the dogs, rather than grass. There are plenty of fog bowls where some owners go around and fill them from time to time.
Owners are pretty watchful of rough play/​bullying and interfere when necessary.
Mostly large dogs with a few smaller ones

Agree with Elaine — EMPTY when weather is crappy. During snowmaggedon my dog and I had the entire park to ourselves. She ignores other dogs anyways, so it worked out well with her sniffing and running around like an idiot. :)
Beware of ignorant owners, there are some people that bring their dogs here and have no control over them. Some things dogs work out amongst themselves, but there were a few times so dogs were overly aggressive with the smaller dogs.
Other parks the community will tell the person with the aggressive dog to leave (good), but here people just allow it. It’s great when there aren’t many dogs there, but there do tend to be larger (50+lbs) that over step their bounds and owners don’t do anything.

If I could give it NO stars, I would.
If you love your dog, do not bring it to this park, ESPECIALLY if you have a puppy.
I had a 4 month old pup whom I brought to this dog park. Within less than a month of coming here, she was attacked and got a bacterial infection.
First, the attack. Some owners here have NO responsibility for their dog. My dog was attacked by an aggressive dog. Owner’s excuse was that he doesn’t like puppies… hmmm…then you should OBVIOUSLY bring him to the dog park… moron. My dog required surgery (she is fine) and the owner refused to accept financial responsibility. I called animal control… worthless; Park manager… nice, but also worthless. No one will accept responsibility here. Like I said… don’t go.
After the attack, I thought maybe it was a freak incident and gave it one more shot. Someone who had a dog with a bacterial infection brought their dog. A $ 271 vet visit informed me that my dog was now sick, too. I can no longer AFFORD to return to this FREE dog park. Fantastic.
My dog hates not being able to socialize and play, but I can’t afford to risk her health and my budget anymore. I am looking for a better park in the Springfield-​Burke-​Lorton area. I will update when I find one.

Ok, update time.
This place is empty when the weather is bad. I love it because my dog LOVES mud, and it’s kind of like having your own ginormous backyard.
During the week:
Generally good. Friendly people, friendly dogs.
Weekends:
Amateur hour. People let their large, overly-​friendly dogs crowd the entrance and harass entering and exiting dogs.
It seems like there are a few more untrained dogs (the ceaseless barker, the chronic humper, etc.) here than at the other parks I’ve been to in the area, especially on the weekends. But, the park is big enough to mostly avoid these dogs.