Paw Meadow Dog Park

This park is a large fenced in area filled with dirt and mulch. While I love the fact that I can let my dog run free, I hate that he is a huge mess when it’s time to leave since this place is basically a big dirty sandbox. There are water bowls next to a water source and an adjacent smaller fenced area for those tiny guys. They have bags for waste disposal and a few benches to hangout while you let your pooch burn some energy.

The facility itself is ok. Not as good as Granby. The people that frequent there are really not so ok. Many inexperienced owners who do not have the proper shots or their dogs licensed. Many big mouths would show up that I have not seen there before and act like they own the place and be first to call other adults names or yell at them because their little 40lb puppy is making their 80lb Doberman submit and cry for4 seconds. Or you get the snooty newly retiree with their 27lb dog getting mad at everyone because she thinks the dogs are attacking her dog when they are actually just playing. The last 4 out of 5 times I went here was enough for me to never go back. The park in Granby has an annoying woman who thinks she owns the place but that is the worse I have seen there. So we go there now.

After reading the reviews and hearing about the park, I had some high hopes for it. However, like all dog parks in this area, I left disappointed.
On the bright side, it is one of the nicer dog parks I’ve been to in Connecticut and I like the separate area for small dogs — much safer that way. It is also clean and well-​maintained.
However, it is VERY small and much smaller than me and my dog are used to. Not much room to throw a ball/​frisbee or just let the dog explore. It can also be very crowded and its a bit sterile — my dog used to enjoy digging and exploring the trails in the dog parks by our old home but this dog park is more or less a dog playroom.

A great spot! Separate areas for dogs under 25 lbs, if they don’t like being in the main area of the park. Shade, water (in season), benches and plenty of space to run. Well maintained and fun!
The rules are clearly posted so you know what’s expected of you and your dog before you enter.

A really nice place to bring your dog for some fresh air and socialization. They have two penned in areas– for small dogs and larger dogs.
We were a little surprised to see the gate and fence in the small dog area badly mangled. Not sure if that was vandalism or vehicle damage, but it looks terrible.
One other thing bothered me a lot, and that was the crabby self appointed guardian of the small dog area that cross-​examined us the minute we entered the pen. Her shockingly rude and inappropriate behavior left us flabbergasted. It seems that keeping our dog leashed rubbed her the wrong way.
Lady, who are you to sit there like the Queen of Sheba sitting on her throne and have the audacity to tell us what to do? Lady, first of all — you don’t know our dog, and second of all — we don’t know the other dogs, so what makes you think you have the right to talk down to us like a kindergarten teacher admonishing her kids for putting the yellow crayons in with the reds?
What makes you think you have the right to tell us (and I quote exactly word for word) «maybe you shouldn’t be here».
Other than that, we had a very nice time.

Visiting the park with our little Westie has become a weekly outing each weekend and we love that she can run loose safely and socialize with other dogs. I’ve heard about some of other town parks having issues with people with aggressive dogs whose owners don’t seem to «get it», but we have not seen this with the Simsbury park (though there are rumors sometimes of it during the week I guess). It’s nice to have such a large area for the dogs and so far it’s been well taken care of and people seem to be respectful and aware that this is beneficial and not something every town has and pick up after their dogs and stuff.

I visited the park last weekend even though it’s not officially open yet.. They will formally open May 19^th 2012 with a ribbon cutting, food, music, vendors, games, prizes and exhibits. The dog park is 100% supported by the community. They still need to raise funds for landscaping, mulch, additional park furnishings and to create a fund for ongoing maintenance and upkeep. Overall, my first impression of the park is fabulous. There is a separate small dog area and large open area with shade and sun, running water and bowls as well as a picnic table. My small Maltese prefers grass or dirt compared to the mulch that is currently down, but I understand that the mulch is probably easier for upkeep. In comparison to most of the other dog parks I’ve visited, I love the location and community feel of the park. It’s right next to the band shell and playscape in the heart of Simsbury and I’m sure my pup enjoyed herself :)