Laguna Woods Dog Park

There are some very aggressive PEOPLE in this park. There is an accident waiting to happen here, between the dogs AND the owners. I was at the park this morning, I saw an older woman SCREAMING at another woman w 3 dogs. Ten minutes later, while my dog was around one of those dogs, a Man with 2 irish setters was YELLING AND SHOUTING at me to get my dogs out of there.
I should have stopped taking my dogs there after my dog was bitten and had 4 puncture wounds, but it is so close and I try to stay away from the aggressive dogs… but the PEOPLE
The park STINKS. I thought the people were irritated by the dog poop that people leave, so I donated a poop scoop… the first one was stolen… I donated a 2^nd one, I put orange tape wrapped all around it… I even tried to pick up extra shit every day… Im so done with this park. The city needs to police this park. Between the theft, yelling shouting people, aggressive dogs, and the stench…

Park itself is uncleanly and the flies and the poop everywhere from other owners is gross. Its tolerable when its not crowded since the park isnt too big. I take my pup here for a quick social stimulation (I prefer Laguna beach dog park) The owners are complete morons here for the most part. Especially peak times (like after working hours) there is a group of owners (prior reviews also state) that meet and sit and socialize, which is fine, but most of their dogs show aggression and are extremely yappy and not friendly. They are all small dogs and I have a large dog who is trained and socialized but has been attacked on numerous occasions by these so called «harmless» dogs. Ive asked owners to please control their dogs, and they laugh it off and say something to the effect, «who? fluffy? he wouldnt harm a fly!» or Ive heard, «she justs wants to play, shes all bark and no bite!» ummmmm sorry but last time i checked aggressive dogs display those characteristics. Would it be ok to have my large breed dog come up to your dogs and do the same? Yea right they would flip out on her. Both times they have swarmed up to my dog while she was still at my side. Very lazy owners who clearly dont read the sign that says DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG IF AGGRESSIVE!

It was too small. The turf green wasn’t attractive or functional with all the dogs doing the doo on it.
Me and Joto only went on one occasion, but on this visit Joto was not getting along with the other dogs and I wasn’t getting along with the other dog owners. When I got back home and want to look at the photos I saw that Joto was being bitten by at least one of those dogs and another dog owner appeared to be rewarding his dogs for something. I felt he was rewarding their aggressive behavior, but to be fair, I wasn’t sure.
Any dog park is better than no dog park, but Joto and I like the other dog parks better.

Avoid this park at all costs! We’ve been here 3 times in the past year, and every time we had to leave due to an antisocial/​aggressive dog. The owners that seems to frequent this dog park treat their dogs like toddlers, not even getting out of their lawn chair to fruitlessly chide «Play nice, Frankie,» «No teeth, Emma.» So if you go be prepared to pick up your dog when it gets attacked. Or, rather, drive the extra 10 minutes to Irvine Central Bark where the responsible owners and well-​socialized dogs hang out.

FLEAS!!! 3÷25÷15
This has been my go-​to dog park for over a year. I come 3 – 4 times a week and haven’t had any major issues until today. I usually come around 11:30am and the people and dogs are great. Today, I came at 3 PM and it was a different story. There were about 5 people sitting in a circle talking. Not uncommon at all. Unfortunately, they weren’t watching their dogs or cleaning up their poop. One of these dogs was infested with fleas. Luckily, my dog (like any responsible pet owner’s dog) is up to date on her flea meds and was unaffected. I wasn’t so lucky. My arms and legs were instantly covered in fleas. I left after 10 minutes and have been picking fleas off ever since. I feel sorry for that dog. People who don’t look after their dogs should not be allowed to have them. Will this stop me from going back? No, I love this park and most of the people who go there. Will I ever go at 3 again? Absolutely not. Please vaccinate and de-​flea your dogs. A few scumbag people shouldn’t ruin it for everyone else.
WEDNESDAY PEOPLE: We know this isn’t your normal park and you only came because yours is closed. Please respect our park and clean up after your dogs. This park is always covered in poop on Wednesdays.
Please google dog park etiquette if you are unfamiliar.
Overall, great place for the pooch.

I don’t know why but the dogs in this location are very vicious. My poor dog was trying to drink water and the other dogs didn’t let him drink any. Not coming back.

Personally, my ‘go to’ park is La Paz because it is the cleanest park that i’ve found and the nicest most watchful owners. However, on days where it’s really hot because theres no shade or too busy because theres no parking or I don’t feel like running after my puppy at La Paz because its so large I will bring my puppy here.
Why? Because it’s closer to me and despite the bad reviews this park is VERY private. Hardly anyone is here. It’s good for a puppy because it’s not too overwhelming and a more controlled environment there’s no kids running /​screaming around. This park also has no dirt /​grass so my puppy wont dig /​get dirty. This is a great park if you want to be left alone with just you and your dog or strike an occasional conversation, or if your looking to have a quick game of fetch and want to be in and out.
It’s also great for a puppy because its a smaller park so he can’t out run me very far and I don’t have to keep as close of an eye on him as there isn’t really anything he can get into.
This park would be a wonderful one for someone who has a dog that isn’t too social or is just starting to socialize. Or you yourself are not too social but do not have a yard and want to play some ball, Or if a dog has some fear issues… because there isn’t many dogs around for them to feel afraid of but still enough to where it can help bring them out of their shell or get them a little socialized.
This would also be a great park for senior dogs who can’t run much or tolerate huge numbers of dogs as the fake grass would be good on their joints /​paws. A ball can also go quite far here and another thing is this park has better shade.
It also is good because it’s mostly small dogs, so if you have a large breed like me who plays gentle with the littles you dont have worry about fights happening as much and with a puppy that’s always a huge concern.
Parking is easy here, and you don’t have to fight for a spot. Also entrance into the park is very quick and easy.
And my last good point is if you and a friend or a couple of friends wanted to have a dog play date you can always close the back area off and let your dogs play together. Even though it’s for small dogs i’ve seen large dogs use it too and as long as no one else is in there it’s fine to use it as like a private /​single area.
Now for the down side, there is only one outdated water fountain and it’s at the very beginning of the park. It dosn’t work as well as the fountains at la paz and I wish they would fix that! also wish they could add one other fountain to the back area or something.
Other bad points — because its mostly seniors that come here or older folks you can get the grumpy types, especially in the mornings. I would say it’s better to come here at night when there are less people around or when you are feeling less social or if you and a friend want to meet here that’s a good option too. Another downside is that there are flies everywhere EVERYWHERE. They will bug you but not as bad as the mosquitos at la paz or some of the other dirt based parks. But they will get around you so don’t bring any food here or open drinks.
It also has the aftersmell of pee. Like most parks do… so keep that in mind. It can be a little stronger here in some areas then other parks because it isn’t grass. But if your not staying long and it’s not too hot out it shouldn’t bother you that much it’s not as bad as some were saying.
Overall I think for this park the pros outweigh the negative.

This place is disgusting. Absolutely nasty. It’s fake grass and it smells like dog urine.
The crowd here is very old and not friendly.
AVOID!

Mapquest has the location way off, it’s NOT next to the DMV. It took me awhile to find the place. It’s located on the south side of Ridge Route Dr. just east of the Peralta Dr stoplight. Look for signs. The AstroTurf didn’t seem awkward to me and it’s probably cleaner than many dog parks with grass. I didn’t see any baños for people but everything else was great.

The strangest dog park I’ve ever been to. It is paved in AstroTurf, the fake plastic grass!

Been here a few times and it always smells, even after the heavy rains last week. The people and the dogs are nice.

This dog park is in a long, narrow shape which is weird for a dog park, more like a big dog run. For pooches that love running in circles it’s definitely not wide enough. Parking is one way in, one way out, spaces are quite limited. Mixed small and big dogs, but there’s a separate, small section with its own gate for shy dogs. Artificial grass, not sure how the drain system works but seems be working ok. It gets hot pretty fast in summer though… unlike real plants it will not stay cooler than air temperature. Not a lot of dogs or ppl, and opens on Wednesdays when most other parks are closed.

I’m going to say «Just Okay.» for this park.
Crowd here is older, and tend to get knocked over by playing dogs. I’ve gotten yelled at for having Loki, my husky, in the big dog area so that someone’s widdle tinkerbelle wouldn’t get run over. Like… sorry, go in the small dog area if you have a little dog?
Speaking of which, the gate for that area doesn’t work. Everyone has been tying poop bags or pushing up a chair to keep it closed.

Small dog park with artificial grass which is gross; but when it comes down to it all dog parks are gross. I like the people that come here, they are very down to earth and we have met some characters…

The artificial grass was pretty gross. Hot sun+plastic+dog pee+ yuck. The park is long, which gives dogs a good stretch to run, but not very wide. It’s hard to throw a ball without hitting someone. There is an area which can be closed off for small dogs, but it is very small. Not big enough for my two dogs 18 & 26lbs to have a good run. One of my dogs has issues with big dogs, so as soon as a lab showed up our fun was over. The big dog park should always be bigger, but the «small» area really isn’t large enough to be worth the trip. They have more space to run in my apartment.

I brought Suki here around 6pm yesterday. There were only a few dogs there but at least they were friendly. I’m not a fan of the artificial grass. It’s kind of gross when it’s warm out and the place heats up creating a stink. Suki was happy to run around but it’s much smaller than Irvine Bark Park or Laguna Beach Dog Park. This is a great place to stop by on a Wednesday when those parks are closed. Your dogs will still get to be social. The parking lot is one way in and out so keep an eye on the signs.
Random note: One lady showed up there with her daughter and no dog. She pretended to know my dog and started asking me about her. She creeped me out so I left shortly after. Who comes to a dog park sans dog, carrying dog toys? Weird.

I think this dog park is ok. Most of the people that go here are really old and I don’t think they could break up a dog fight if one happened. The door between the small dog area and the large dog area is always open. The fake grass stinks I don’t like it. The urine just sits on it and smells bad.

I like this park because it’s a 12 minute drive from my house, it’s a medium-​sized park, there’s an area for big dogs and small dogs, and there are a lot of dogs that come sometime. They provide water and doggie bags at the park and there are chairs for you to sit in, but there are a lot of old people that come.

Pretty good, though small and tucked away between a golf course and a mobile home park. I like to walk there though the walking path gets a little precarious due to construction close to the park. They have astroturf so the grass is always green here =)

It’s a narrow strip of land and is great for Wednesdays when the Irvine and Laguna Beach dog parks are closed for maintenance.
It was recently redone with artificial grass.
Unfortunately the artificial grass does not seem to be a good choice.
When the sun is out the plastic grass gets too hot for the dogs paws and many seek refuge in the small patches of dirt. There is no shade for dogs or people.
Another issue is the smell of urine. It’s okay when the sun is setting but when it’s a warm day — oh, brother hold your breath!
Parking is a breeze and the people are very nice.
There is a small area that is gated at the end that can be used for small dogs I guess but the majority of dogs there are small and mostly the gate is open so the dogs have the entire area, which is fairly small to begin with.
Great idea but the execution is lacking.
DOG PARK COURTESY:
1. When there is a dog in the entrance/​exit pen, do NOT open either gate. Let the owner get their dog on/​off leash and out the other side. ALWAYS close and latch the gate behind you — double check it.
2. Do NOT bring food. Your dog might not be food aggressive (but seriously how do you know how he will react with all of those dogs?) but you don’t know about any of the other dogs in the park.
3. Do NOT let your dog «stalk» the gate. The dog barking, growling, jumping at a dog who’s not even in the gate yet doesn’t always end well and at the very least it’s highly unpleasant for the dog and owner trying to come in.
4. Before you let your dog off leash consider that other dogs might be leashed and leash aggressive — meaning that they are fine but when they are «confined» (i.e. leash) and have an unleashed dog coming toward them and/​or in their face they get uncomfortable and react accordingly.
5. Pick up the poo! If your dog goes but you can’t find it, pick up other poo — it’s fecal karma and the universe just might save you from stepping in the doo in the future!
6. Dogs are there to have fun — they naturally growl, nip, wrestle, bark, snap, show teeth, bounce around, etc…
7. The dog park is NOT the time to read, play solitaire, text, etc… No matter what, you MUST watch your dog at all times. Everyone there should be doing the same — it’s the one time eye contact isn’t necessary in conversation!