Willow Oaks Park

It’s a treat to find a dog park that has real grass.
Not too many dogs come here but the ones that do are medium to large breeds.

My dog loves it here! He always makes great new friends whenever we go. I only wish they had a few benches for pet parents to sit on.

Such a fun dog park! The dogs AND dog parents are fantastic. There is a «staging» area before you enter the main dog park to unleash and unharness your pup. The dog parents know when to break up a fight and when to just let the pups play. I recommend bringing your own water and dog bowl. I did not see any water in the area.

Nice dog park, friendly people, nothing really special about this place. It is literally just grass where all dogs of size can roam and play. Bring your own dog bowl and water, no water for dogs provided-​that I saw. Overall this place is «ehh,» nothing really special about it.
7÷7÷15 update:
I love bringing my puppy here now. I tried out other dog parks but none of them compare to this. The people here that bring their pets are for the most part very friendly and nice, a majority of them are dog walkers and have offered great advice. My five month old Malmute/​Husky makes new friends each time he comes here so I definitely recommend this place to new pet parents :)

Pros:
— It is a great park. All owners are nice, and some know each other.
— Willow Oaks Dog Park is all grass, which is fantastic. My dog has had problems with cutting her pads on the sand/​gravel material at other parks, but this park was perfect for her.
— All the dogs there were friendly, but some played a little rougher than others.
Cons:
— Some owners will not stop their dog if it is getting too rough. My dog was frightened by some of the rough play and gave some warning growls and nips. The other dog noticed her fear and started going after her more. The other owner did not do anything even though I was clearly trying to keep some space in between them.
— No water
— Ground is uneven. There were some small holes in the ground, and if you have a clumsy dog (like mine) they may step into a hole and hurt their legs.
Things to keep in mind:
— Bring your own water. Some people bring water bottles for the dogs, but it is not enough. I bring a bowl and a few quarts of water for my dog for when we are about to leave, and that is — in my opinion– the best thing to do.
— If you want to bring your own toy, be aware that it WILL be used by more than just your dog. So if you don’t want to share, don’t bring it.

Pros:
— fenced with double gate entry
— poop bags provided
— a couple of gentle «hills»
— parking
— there’s a playground nearby for the kids, but separated by a gap in the fences so that no one gets nipped
— mostly nice and responsible owners
Cons:
— no water
— relatively small without separation for small and big dogs
— limited hours (though they don’t seem to be enforced)
— turf gets muddy in winter and they close in summer to re-​grow the grass, which promptly is torn up when the dogs return
— a few «queen bee» regulars
Many people I’ve met at this park are really nice, but there are always a few…
Full disclosure, my medium-​sized dog plays rough. I always approach the owners of dogs she plays with to check about how they feel about her. Generally, they fall into two categories:
A) I’m not comfortable with her playing with my baby like that — I get it and leave.
B) Yes, she’s rough and tumble but she’s not aggressive and it’s best to let the dogs work it out as long at they’re not fighting or hurting each other.
When I meet a B I ask them to let me know if he/​she changes his/​her mind at any point so I can handle it. I also watch my dog very carefully.
At this park, I’ve met a new category C. People that correct two dogs playing (mine and the other) even though the two owners are comfortable, paying attention, and their dog is nowhere near the play. Because the park is fairly small and borders a neighborhood, there seem to be a few regulars that have elected themselves to judge and set the rules.
I agree with a previous reviewer, «Some of the ‘doggie parents’ are a little too protective of their ‘babies’ and want to break up and yell at every little things the dogs do. It kinda takes the fun out of it for the dogs.»

Willow Oaks Park is the closest dog park to my house, but I drive 20 minutes in traffic to go to the Shoreline Dog Park in Mountain View.
The dog park is large, has quite a lot of grass, and is fully fenced which are all positives… but I just don’t love it!
My problems include: there’s never anyone at the park when I’ve gone, usually after work, so Freckles doesn’t get any dog interaction that he adores; there are a lot of «bad» dog owners that don’t pick up their pup’s mess, so I’m constantly having to step over or get Freckles away from poop; as others have stated, there isn’t any dog fountains, so I have to remember to bring water for the little guy to drink; and Freckles just doesn’t have that warm fuzzy feeling at this park, he just wanders around and doesn’t really play.
If you have kids, the Willow Oak Park is probably a great place to take them since the children’s play structure (which looks great by the way) is right next door to the puppy park. There’s plenty of parking available when I’ve been and there is plenty of seating outside the dog park for those with you!
All in all… nothing horrific, but nothing great either.

Not the best dog park but it’s the closest to my house to it’ll do AND as long my dog is happy running around and socializing then it’s not too bad. The lack of water is a BIG deal. The city can’t put a water fountain there? Some of the «doggie parents» are a little too protective of their «babies» and want to break up and yell at every little things the dogs do. It kinda takes the fun out of it for the dogs. Try to get there before between 4 – 5 if you’re going in the afternoon, otherwise it’s a mad house.

I first started going to this dog park a year ago when I rescued my Boxer.
The things I don’t like is there is no water fountain. They have odd hours. 7am-​9am and 4pm-​dusk. The mud! The city over-​waters and I have been there at 7:30am and the sprinklers are still on! Of course the dogs love it, especially the Labs.
What I do like, is the regular pet parents who bring their dogs are very welcoming to new visitors. With a few exceptions, they are all responsible dog owners. They help by letting you know if your pup «went» and you didn’t see it. And they don’t act like you’re being a bad one cuz you missed it. It really is like a large extended family. On Fridays, one of the parents bring a little «beverage» to share.