Union Square Dog Run

This dog run is in a great location but the run is not my favorite. It’s mostly rocks and pebbles… more than any other run that I’ve been to. The rocks get kicked up when the dogs run around and can cause some injury. It’s also small compared to other runs I’ve been to in the city. Anytime we walk by the run, you can already smell the stench from the run.

Not a big fan. But I go here because of location convenience. I dedicate one star to the size of the dog run (I always appreciate a larger run space). And the second star is for the friendly people that frequent the place. Otherwise, you have to take into consideration the intense stench of waste that liners there until your nostrils become numb to the odor. And on sunny summer days, there exists no shade for you or your dog — 95% of the run becomes useless if you’re both stuck hiding under a foot of shade on a hot humid day.

This place not only stinks, but it is small and dusty. I don’t know who thought it’d be a great idea to use pebbles on the ground… but yikes. My dog hated walking on it and it made the smell of urine unbearable.

Truly mediocre space and canine talent here, paling in comparison to the 2 WSP runs. Not a bad option if you’re here but tiny and understandably boring.

This place is really small. In the summer, it smells awful and in the spring, rain floods the entrance, so wear galoshes. In all honesty, I had only helped out once or twice during Community Days, so I guess I can’t complain too much about the lack of sanitation.
I can complain, however, that many people do not pick up after their animals because they are too busy talking, whether amongst a clique or on their phones.
As with NYC in general, I’ve met a lot of friendly people here over the years, and a lot of not so nice people.
To the friendly people, thanks for brightening my day. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy having a dog in the city.
To the duds, I hope you never reproduce, if you haven’t already. The way you are in denial about the horrible behavior of your animals, is a strong indication that you probably shouldn’t have children.
For example, an ill tempered Golden Retriever stood on his hind legs to reach and destroy a knit hat right off my head. The owner (bald, middle aged male) was w/​in 3 feet away, did nothing and laughed. No apologies at all. His entitlement was over the top.
Another time, I had a stupid little pug attach itself to my foot, and rip off the thong of my right sandal (as well as some skin), so that I could barely walk home!
The whole process took about five minutes and meanwhile, I was asking around, as civilly as I could, who the owner of the dog was. The nasty owner/​creature, who definitely heard me, sat hiding herself behind a book, until the damage was done. Again, no apologies. Instead, a jerk of a dog walker came to her defense, yelled at me, and asked why I wore sandals to the dog park. Insanity.
The last I checked, there’s no law against wearing sandals, but common sense (and a whole bunch of signs) indicate that aggressive dogs (no matter what their size) should not be brought in.
Finally, be aware that people without animals come into the run all the time. For example, two clueless suburban girls who thought they found a petting zoo, left BOTH gates open and a woman with two dogs, lost one of them as it ran out though the park, and promptly into traffic. I stayed behind to watch her other dog, and my own. Luckily, she got her little one back safe and sound.
Union Square Dog Run: Enjoy at Your Own Risk.

Pros:
— Convenient location (at least for me)
— Gravel keeps puddles from accumulating except on extra wet days
— Always a place for humans to sit
— Poop bags always stocked
Cons:
— Gravel is tough for smaller dogs to walk on. Think of how walking through beach sand is for you
— Sometimes gets pretty stinky… needs a better drainage system
— Often attracts dog-​less visitors who want to hangout inside the park

You know, I actually have never had an issue with this dog run. This may be because it is a little bit on the tiny side so super large and rambunctious dogs don’t really frequent here, but I must say that this the only park between Madison Square Park and Tompkins Square Park that my dog has not been attacked by a large dog (I own an English bulldog). Here he can come and run around (a little bit) and do his usual marking of every crevice without being mounted by dogs and then later brutally attacked. This place gets my vote purely because of the fact that the people with aggressive dogs with lots of energy that need to run it out do not frequent here, which keeps my doggy safe from their need to exert dominance by mounting and attacking.

me and my pup live the closest to this dog run. Unfortunately she has very tiny and sensitive paws and doesn’t seem to be able to enjoy walking on the sharp stones that the run is covered with… I do see a few dogs come in there and they seem to handle it A-​Ok but by how empty the place is Im assuming she isn’t acting and it might really hurt her.
Well it was so unfortunate after i kept making attempts to have her play there it would mostly be empty and we would sit there alone and even when pups would come in she would step down and then beg for me to hold her once again :(So unfortunate because its the closest place to our home and its very pretty…
We did get little shoes which actually helped allot! But she isn’t as free in them as she likes but that definitely helped.
The other downfalls are that its mixed Big & Small dogs and the crazy man screaming stuff «artists» right outside of the dog run so loudly that you cant even hear the dog bark!
PLEASE NOTE: My reason for writing this review is not to knock down its popularity but quite the opposite. I do not know how that works, but feel free to contact me if you know how we can make the benefiting changes to this park! I would love to help and bring it back to life.

I think it’s well worth the extra 15 minute walk to the Tompkins Park dog run…

Small dog run but not the worst dog park/​run I have found so far in NYC.
Things it has going for it:
— Location, at least for me
— Seating for owners
— Has water for dogs
— Pea gravel ground cover
— Safe area/​park
— Hose to cool off dogs
— Has shade
— Good for small/​medium sized dogs
Things it has against it:
— Small
— Not very clean at times, can smell pretty bad
— Not really made for big dogs
— Has a little viewing area just outside the run for other park goers, feels like your a zoo exhibit at times
— First gate going into run needs to be repaired
This one needs to be updated a little. It works for me since I have somewhere to bring my dog while my wife goes to the park’s farmer’s market on the weekend.
Dog runs/​parks I have been to so far:

Great Dog run. Better crowd of people at this dog run in contrast to the others in the city.

It smells bad. Really bad. But I bring my puppy there because he needs to play and run. So, after every visit, I put him in the sink to get washed off.

I like taking my dog here. Do note that the space is REALLY small though so unless you have an action figure sized dog they’re not going to get a ton of exercise.
There’s plenty of benches to sit and observe the tail wagging. The ground is made of large sized gravel, with more than 5 dogs running around be prepared for a constant cloud of dust to hang over the dog run.
Someone else’s dog peed on my work bag here last week… not cool.

I agree with the other reviewers that the run is small but that’s kind of what makes it awesome. Since I live in the area, I see locals here every day — often more than once. The sense of community is great. It’s nice to see a familiar face at the end of the day in the dog run and watch my pup frolic with his buddies.
My dog can be a bit of a bully (despite being a tiny guy). And most of the other owners are low-​key and understand that I do the best I can to make sure he’s nice to everyone in the park.
My one complaint (which I realize applies to every NYC dog run) — is that on weekends, out-​of-​towners flock to the city with their undertrained animals and come into the park assuming that things are going to go swimmingly.

Union Square Dog Run is pretty small, and is lined with urine soaked gravel. Not my favorite dog run in the city, but it’s not horrible.
It is nice to have a dog run right in the middle of all the action though.

I bring Charlotte to this run all the time. Its not the biggest run but is convenient.

I brought Patchers here and discovered he was socially awkward. All the dogs came running to say hi and Patch leapt onto me like Puffy a la There’s Something About Mary. He sat quivering on my lap the entire time while the other dogs slobbered all over his new toys from Petco. I’d be surprised if he has self-​esteem issues since he always acts like he’s in charge, so I’m guessing he’s either been overcompensating or he has social anxiety disorder. Maybe I can set him up with a gig as the new spokesdog for those SAD commercials. They’re so touching.
In any case, I’m pretty sure his balls were nowhere in sight the whole hour we spent there. Oh, Patch.

This dog park is mediocre at best. It’s not very large, which is great for little dogs, however it means that the big dogs dominate it most of the time. The pebbles are not washed down and grated often enough for my taste. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been pretty gross. Also, the dog parents there are not very considerate of their dog’s behavior. Not my favorite dog park, but good in a pinch.

No one’s reviewed the dog run??? I don’t even have a dog to bring here and I love this place. It’s really entertaining to watch the cute doggies frolic together. I just wish I could go inside the run to play with them, but alas. No humans without dogs, and no dogs without humans.