87th Street Dog Run

Well I have a crossed opinion of the dog run. Too many people bring their own toys and balls then complain if your dog starts playing with them. It’s a dog run don’t bring your personal toys. Other than that this donation based run does as good as they can with the limited amount if resources they have.

I like that this park is so close. It’s great that they divide the park into two sections– small dogs and medium-​to-​large dogs. There is a double gate so even if your pup runs out, it is stopped by a second gate. Good benches and shade for humans.
The bad — the ground is all dust so as the pups play, you get dust in your face and your dog gets covered. I wish the ground was grass.
Another problem is that entitled upper west sider owners take aggressive dogs into the park. People, if you own a dog that has lunged or bitten another dog EVER, do not bring it into a dog park. Never.
The final issue — The small dog run is for under 22 pound dogs ONLY. The majority of the dogs in the small run are under 10 pounds. Frequently, owners of dogs over 22 pounds take their dogs into the small dog run. Would you like to have a boxing match with a man three times your size? I’m guessing not. Same with our small dogs and your medium to large dog.

Decent sized park, hose to fill up water bowls, clean off dogs. I frequent this park often however there are some crazies who freak out about dogs rough-​housing/​playing. Other then that, love this dog run!

Been going to this run off and on for a year now. Not a bad medium size run.
Things it has going for it:
— Decent size for a dog run in Manhattan
— Safe area/​park
— Hose to cool off dogs
— Separate large dog and small dog areas
— Plenty of shade
— Plenty of seating for humans
Things it has against it:
— At times there have been a lot of flies and a strong smell of urine (maybe too much shade)
— No bathrooms nearby for humans
On their website it shows some fundraising for future work to be done. With an upcoming renovation hopefully in its future, this run can get to be one of the better runs at Riverside Park.
Dog runs/​parks I have been to so far:

This is where I come to live vicariously through dog owners. I so wish I could have a pooch of my own, but it just wouldn’t be fair since I’m away from home so much.
The solution? Whenever I’m walking through Riverside Park I make it a point to stand outside the fencing and watch all the doggies at play. Sad, I know.
The park itself is actually quite large for a Manhattan dog park, in fact, it’s the largest one that I know of, and it even has a hose so your canine can hydrate properly from all that play time. There are two areas, a large area for medium to large dogs, and a smaller area for Princess Snookums the maltese. Lastly, the entrance features a double gating system so no «escapes» take place, and there are several benches for dog owners to relax on.

This is probably one of my top three dog run area in upper west side.
(+1) it is spacious, tons of cool dogs and their owners
(+1) two gates that are doubled
(+5) almost every bench has a nice shade
(-3) Dirt and gravel is definitely better than concrete jungle. Yet, given how often it rains and drizzles in the city, it becomes gross and disgusting very fast. It gets worse when there is a doggy pool set up in the middle. Almost every single dog that comes in the park pees there. Jumps in and out, dripping all over creating a mud + pee + poop ensemble all over.
Dog runs are usually my backup if I cannot spare some time in the morning 6am~9am to go to one of the 23 dog friendly areas in the central park. My favorite one is the one near the tennis court in the north meadow area. Very clean. Nice dogs. Tons of squirrels. My pup go nuts.
[Link to 23 dog friendly area]

Clean, great amount of space for dogs to really get into a run, & well taken care of.
Every time I’ve gone there have been other nice people and dogs there — no weirdos or owners who freak out about dogs rough-​housing/​playing

We stopped to observe the happy canines and their owners within the fenced-​off areas while we were strolling the neighborhood. If it means a little less of a poop zone for the joggers, why not? I get to see all the cuteness of the pups without any of the pawmarks on my clothes. I was particularly enamored with the wheelchair doggy frolicking about. :3

My dog walking duties have me here twice a day 4 days a week and I can’t say enough positive things about the space. It’s well maintained and the vast majority of dogs and humans are well trained and friendly. There’s a community vibe, people look out for each others dogs — you can ask almost anyone for tips or advice, and several people are happy to spend time chatting. The space is big enough for large dogs, and I’ve never seen an aggressive dog stay for too long (people quickly get the point and go elsewhere if their four-​legged companion is having a trouble-​causing day). You’ll see poodles and pitts, students, dog walkers, retirees, doctors, lawyers… folks who go off to the hamptons every weekend and folks who will talk to strangers about how they’re struggling to pay for rent and dog food… all enjoying the open space together and all with a sincere love of animals in common

Who knew there was a dog run here? I have lived a few blocks away for over a year and a half. I have gone running through Riverside Park. I have visited the infamous flower garden. I have checked out the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. I have watched a play outside of the aforementioned monument. I never knew that the park had a dog run, though.
Then I started dating an awesome girl with an awesome puppy. Now I know.
I like this dog park because it has two separate gated areas (one for big dogs and one for small dogs), and it has double gates with space in between like in a prison, or a nuclear facility. These two features are both helpful, because they respectively ensure that your small dog doesn’t get eaten by a larger dog and that your small dog doesn’t run away before you get a chance to put its leash on it.

This is a well maintained, clean dog park. There are two sections for small dogs and for larger dogs. Today when I went, they were refencing the small dog area, so my little teeny shih tzu pup was intimidated and almost stomped on by larger dogs.
Its equipped with a water bowl, hose, pooper scoopers, poop bags, toys … everything you could want.
All different types of dogs are always coming and going with their owners from show dogs to rescues and fosters. All the dogs are trained and the owners are super friendly. My little pup tried to slip out between the gates when i wasnt looking and someone caught him for me (then we went to complain to the fencing guys that the gap was slightly too big and unsafe for dogs).
This is a wonderful place to socialize your pup and get them some excersize and out of the apartment! I’m super excited, since I love this dog run and its right now the block from my new diggs. :-)

It’s like Disneyland for dogs: no leash, outside in the dirt (or mud, if it has just rained), new doggie friends to sniff and chase everywhere, tennis balls, toys, squirrels to bark at… what more could a dog possible want? Every time we get to the top of the stairs leading to the dog run, my dog goes completely nuts with excitement at the realization of where we’re headed. I honestly think I couldn’t coax her away from there if I had a steak in my hand.
Let me acknowledge that all of the dog runs along Riverside Drive are great. I happen to prefer this one because its conveniently located and the other dog owners/​dogs are friendly/​well-​trained, which makes the whole experience much more fun and relaxing for me.
The 88^th Street dog run is well cared for and clean: there’s several benches, shade trees, trash cans – everything you expect at a dog park. The run is divided into two parts with opposite-​end entrances (with double-​gate entrance/​exit so no pups accidentally escape). Apparently the southern part is for «small dogs», although I’ve seen plenty of small dogs in the larger area, including my little girl. She likes to run and the small area doesn’t have as much space to run around.
I also like that this dog run has pooper scoopers and bags. Good dog owner etiquette requires an owner to pick up after his/​her pup, and I’ve seen a few «enforcers» among the regular patrons who call out an owners that don’t immediately clean up after their dog. Nothing rude, just friendly little «hey, isn’t that your dog over there [pooping all over the place]?». I appreciate that assertiveness – its probably why this place remains as clean as it is.
Not really much grass (if any) which means that dogs are playing on dirt. Just know going in that you will need to bathe your dog after a long play sesh.
Note: there’s also a water nozzle with dog dish, so no need to pack a water bottle. However, during the winter the Parks Dept. turns off the water line so it doesn’t freeze, so you’re on your own for hydration.