While the weather is cool, the SarasotaDog MeetUp group will be taking a tour of some of the most popular parks. This weekend January 18th, we’ll be heading over to Arlington Park for a furry scurry at 10:00 am. Next up is Bay Street Paw Park in Osprey on Saturday, February 22nd at 11:00 am.
It’s a great way to meet other dog people and get your pup some off-leash play time. The fenced “off-leash” areas are a short walk from the parking lot. Small and large dogs have separate play areas. There is some seating available, usually there are bags. Just in case we always have a spare or two, and water for our dog.
Here are some rules and tips about the local dog parks in Sarasota:
- Dogs shall be leashed upon entering and exiting the Paw Park ***
- Small children and infants shall be under adult supervision
- Dog owners are responsible for picking up after their pets
- Dog owners shall be in the park and in view of their dogs at all time
- Dogs shall be under voice command at all times
- Female dogs in heat are prohibited from the Paw Park
- Aggressive dogs are prohibited from the Paw Park
- All dogs shall be current in their vaccinations as required by local ordinances
- Sarasota County shall not be responsible for any injury or damage caused by a dog in the park.

***Clarification about the first rule – dogs should be leashed in the parking lot, going to and from the first entry gate, but should be unleashed inside the foyer of the double-gated area, and then allowed to enter the park off leash for safety reasons of the dog. Dogs may behave differently on a leash when other dogs are off leash – often fearfully or aggressively. By removing the dogs leash upon entering you will have leveled the playing field.
Curious about your park status? The County has this handy smartsheet to keep us up-to-date on what’s open and what is not! Check it out.
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=423b78a245c1477d8de65113704ec7bd
See you at the Park!