Maplewood Dog Park

MEMBERS ONLY. Don’t visit if you don’t have a membership. The town unrelentingly requires membership for access to public space. Shameful.

Love the doggy pool.

I just started taking my pup here and she absolutely loves this place. It’s only $ 20 a year for a membership if you are Maplewood or Richmond Heights resident ($ 50 for non residents). You need proof of rabies vaccination to get the dog tag and gate code from city hall. They also request a picture.
There is a pool that you can drain out (the old water goes into the creek behind the park) and refill with clean water if you wish. It’s shallow enough for most dogs to wade in. You’ll often see dogs just laying in the water on warm days. My puppy just discovered the miracle that is water, and loves splashing around in the pool. Since I didn’t think she would go in the water the first time at the park, I wasn’t prepared and didn’t bring a towel. Now I always keep one in my car!
There are some strict rules for the park: no dog food/​treats, no leashes, no digging, etc. All of which keeps this place well kept and pristine. There are always toys around so I stopped bringing my own.

The park managers have been making some nice improvements to the park lately that I felt needed a shout out.
Every spring they re-​mulch the all dog side. I like and hate this because dog #1 goes nuts for the fresh mulch to chew on… and eat, but the alternative is dirt and mud after it rains. We try to stay to the small dog side where the grass is growing greener these days. They recently installed a few nice solid permanent benches on both sides, some still prefer the lightweight plastic chairs. They added a ton more toys, everything from Frisbees to tennis balls and a storage bin to keep them in. There seem to be more water bowls too, but I’ve learned my lesson about bad water (read my review on the Animal Emergency Clinic). I dump all the water bowls and refill one with fresh water.
The people that bring their dogs to this park are super friendly, it’s a little community all it’s own. I’ve been happy with the management of my membership and the communication. However, not as happy as both my pups are to have a place to turn up the high speed running and chasing. I have to be careful how I use the word «PARK» these days. I can’t «park» the car anymore, I have to «nestle» it into it’s spot in the «storing» lot.