Dog Park at Doyle Park

I wish I would have read the Unilocal reviews on this park before coming here. Back in May, my husband and I were having a fun time exploring our old stomping grounds (UCSD, Regents Pizza, etc) with our pup Jack and decided he deserved a trip to the dog park on the way home. We typically take him to Nate’s Dog Park in Balboa or the dog park behind Kearny High School, but we knew there was a park in the UTC area, so we quickly looked it up and found Doyle Park. I should also say that we have been to multiple dog parks in San Diego and the Inland Empire with no problems whatsoever.
In less than one minute, I was on the ground with a broken wrist. A huge dog knocked me over from behind almost as soon as I had entered the park. The dog kept running, so it wasn’t quite a «dog attack», just an uncoordinated/​blind/​goofy large black dog.
My only memory of the park before the incident was how all of the dog owners were sitting together near the entrance. As it’s a small park and I was standing within all of their view when I fell, I know the majority of the people saw the incident and heard me panic at the sight of my deformed wrist. Yet NOT ONE PERSON came up to us to apologize for their dog knocking me over. Obviously, we left as quickly as we could so I could go to the ER, but there still was plenty of time to track us down, apologize, and give us their phone number (and you know, generally be a responsible human being). We had even parked right near the entrance and sat in the car for a few minutes while we called Kaiser to see which location we should go to. Again, no excuses for not approaching us to take responsibility. One kind man did pick up our dog for us as my husband was worried about getting me to the car first. But that was it. And no, we did not demand to know whose dog did it because we were kind of preoccupied with a broken bone, a new experience for both of us.
Accidents happen. Dogs run into people (not that often, but I’m willing to accept it might not have been a pattern for that dog, just a one time mistake). My husband and I wouldn’t have sued or even made the people feel bad for what their dog did because we get it. Luckily I have awesome insurance, I only missed a few days of work, and it was my non-​dominant hand. But like, I had to have surgery. I just finished occupational therapy. I have actual PTSD at dog parks and around running dogs now. I stay seated or near something I can hold on to and let my husband follow our dog around. A simple apology would have been nice. Even better would have been the dog’s owner stepping up and letting us know that they would incur some of the cost if need be.
I stumbled across this Unilocal page as I was filling out an insurance-​claim form that I got in the mail today and I couldn’t remember the name of the location of the accident. Reading through the negative reviews, it all makes sense now. Clearly, there is a pattern of lazy and negligent dog owners here. STAY AWAY. Especially if you don’t have health insurance :)

I have been to at least a dozen dog parks since I’ve had my furbaby and Doyle is one of my favorites. It isn’t fancy or anything, but it is always clean and never smells of urine. This makes me think that the city probably maintains it because I have found that the parks that are maintained solely by volunteers tend to be full of dog poop, have little to no grass left and smell awful.
There is a big dog and small dog side, but you can open the gate connecting the two which is nice when there are only 2 or 3 dogs there and who get along with all sizes. Each side has a hose and bowls so you can rise and fill water for the pups on those hot days. There are a few benches and chairs scattered around as well which never seem too dirty to sit on.
Parking can definitely be a pain if there is a softball or soccer game on the fields, but there is plenty of parking on the OTHER side of the park off of Regents Road if you get there and the dog park lot is full.

I have been taking my pup here for a couple weeks now and until today we had no problems. However, today during lunch I witnessed a very unpleasant incident between an older lady and a young (and very very rude) man. His husky, Hector, was out of control and the owner did nothing to stop him. I saw his dog run from the gate to the other side of the dog park and jump on this poor woman, almost toppling her over! The owner didn’t say one word to his dog and didn’t even apologize to the elderly woman. After witnessing this I do not feel safe taking my dog there and I also do not want to be subjected to rude, insolent people like that man.

Friendly people always here. Good size dog park and nice surrounding people park. Great for people with dogs in surrounding apartments

This dog park is great for both small dogs and large dogs. They have 2 separates spaces so you can choose which side is right for your dog. I like that the park has both grass and dirt so the dogs don’t get that dirty. They have bags to pick up after your pet as well as chairs to sit in. There are usually a lot of dogs so your dog is sure to get some good exercise and socialization.

There are a lot of people who move away from that park because some people are very rude and use a lot of bad language. In the latter case, I don’t mind, but there are a lot of weirdos here.
Example 1: Creepy dude with an adorable cocker spaniel. Started hitting on my mother. Keep in mind, my mother is well into her 40s and her husband was right beside her.
Example 2: Homeless guy with a smartphone. Wanted to take a picture of my dog to put on his blog. I don’t mind, but he smells really bad and he tries to make a conversation with you, wherever you are. Keeps talking.
Example 3: Drinkers. Can’t keep a single can of beer out of the park.
But most of the owners who come at noon-​4pm are really nice. To those of you who don’t want to socialize; small talk is not required as both small and big dog parks are pretty spacious.
I’ve seen owners who let their dogs drink the owner’s beer out of the cans. I really don’t understand people… Don’t they have any idea of how it’s going to affect their dogs’ health? Do they have ANY educaton or common sense? I guess not, if they’re so intoxicated.

I think the best aspect of this park is that it is close to campus. Other than that — it is a pretty standard dog park — although slightly bigger than average.
When we came here last weekend — there wasn’t much grass — but at least it wasn’t muddy. There were plenty of doggie doo-​doo bags, chairs, and a bench under a tree — which was nice.
The people that we spoke with here were friendly and not pretentious. No weirdos and no lame or aggressive dogs.
All-​in-​all — we will be back. Cool little park.
Tip– Enter the dog park off of Cargill Ave. It is the East side of the Doyle Comm. Park.

The dog park is small but clean. You get a good mix of UCSD students, older people and Lulu Lemon housewives here. Doggy bags are always plentiful and there is usually parking as well. The grass is mostly… well, dirt. I’ve had an okay experience here. You meet some nice people, a few weirdos and a handful of people who let their dogs do whatever they want (rude if you ask me) while they sit and chat in their lawn chairs.
I prefer the Nobel dog park but this one’s close to my house.

The dog owners who come here regularly suck! Those dirty old plastic lawn chairs or cement table and bench can’t possibly be that comfortable for you to sit and chat away when your dog is crapping all over the place or terrorizing another dog. You are there for your dog — so keep your focus on your dog! If you can’t do that, then keep them on a leash. Common sense.
My favorite is when the medium 25+ lbs dogs are in the little dog section killing each other. I saw this happened just the other day. Two english bull dogs in a fight and the owner didn’t even noticed until a smaller dog Unilocaled because he got caught in the middle of it. Both dogs belonged to the same lady (of course). Those bull dogs must have been at least 40 lbs each. A 10 lb dog wouldn’t have stood a chance.
I can understand if a calm medium dog is more comfortable in the smaller dogs section, but if you have a medium dog with high energy (and don’t pretend you don’t know) and you decide to put them in with the smaller dogs, then you are a JERK. And you are even a bigger JERK for not watching your dogs and picking up after them!

This place is just OK. It has 2 gated sections… one for smaller breeds and one for large breeds. The large breed section tends to house the more active, agressive larger dogs so a lot of times you’ll see medium sized dogs in the small dog area. So now you have 30lb dogs mixed into the small dog area with the 10lb toy breeds. The pens aren’t the largest so the dogs can’t really run around and play much. There also isn’t much grass and mostly dirt. I personally prefer the Poway Dog Park since it has 3 larger sections and you can separate the dog sizes even further.
The one plus though is it is clean. I am glad to see that the owners at least pick up after their dogs and all contribute to keeping the dog park usable.

I like how theres two different parks for smaller and bigger dogs. My dog is medium size so he can go in both! The dogs are usually very nice and people are very cautious of their dogs. I’ve only encountered one person that was too busy talking to realize her dog had pooped everywhere. I like to come here at night because it’s open 24hrs and they have lights and theres no one else there.

I have a little Dachshund-​Chihuahua pup, Nico — If you frequent this park, you have seen my dog, whether you are in the big or small dog park. This little booger is a «man without borders,» always crossing the gates (underneath, next to the trash can). He’s a rescue and adopted a couple of months ago — and have gotten so social lately, after being dog-​parked every day :) I love all the regulars at the big dog park and the people in the little dog park are super friendly and chatty.
2.5 stars for the actual dog park —
The big dog park is terrible — It took 2 years to even get the foundations of new benches set in at the big dog park. And holes are endless. Little dog parks are still grassy and better.
Oh — and the faucet at the big dog park is TERRIBLE. Retards in the city park development office forgot the little rubber so the water points up… making it impossible to fill water bowls properly. So passive aggressive!!!

We’ve been going to this dog park since we adopted our small puppy in February 2011. It has become quite a popular place since then with a lot or regulars in attendance. The owners are generally mindful of their dogs and keep the park pretty clean. It’s a very friendly atmosphere and new owners and dogs are always welcome (less cliquey and crazy dog people than other dog parks). There is a good mix of local college students and professionals that come to this park. Poop bags are in ample supply, and there is a doggy water fountain with water bowls available for use inside the fenced area.
As with all dog parks, you still have to watch your dog closely whether s/​he is a wimp or a bully. I’ve had to leave a couple of times because another dog was playing too hard (ie. biting down on my dog’s ears and starting to tear it up despite her cries). While most owners will break up rough play, you can’t expect all owners to show the same degree of care for other dogs. That goes for any dog park.
Sometimes the park does get crowded, but I haven’t seen any problems associated with over-​crowding as of yet. Usually when there are a lot of dogs, each dog is able to find a playmate more easily and the less social dogs can keep to themselves without being bothered.
Overall, my puppy and I really enjoy going to this park. It is open 24 hours a day and gets maintained twice a week. I highly recommend it.

I love this dog park. There is a big dog area, and a seperate small dog area. Most owners are very good about keeping the two seperate, although a bigger dog who is very old and quiet is certainly welcom in the small dog end.
I think the owners to a good job of keeping their eyes on their pets, keeping them respectful of eachother, as well as cleaning up after them. The owners are also, for the most part, pretty normal, as opposed to the crazy dog people at many other area dog parks.
Parking can be hard, but usually if the top «lot» is full, the street below is usually ok, although… then you have to hike up the hill… which my lazy a$$ hates, but no biggy.
I’ve heard that some people try to open the gate between the big and small dog areas. Hello, if you see this, put a stop to it! Not ok! They are seperate for a reason, and we are not in OB!

If you have a big dog this park is for you, even though I’ve seen back yards larger than this lot! but if you have a small dog don’t even bother coming to this place! they supposed to have two areas –fence and all-​but since there is a gate in between people just leave it open for their big dogs to have «more space» not fair for the small pooches

I really liked this park. We usually go to Kearney Mesa park or South Park but we tried something new last weekend. There is a park for big dogs and an adjoining park for small dogs, which is cool. It wasn’t too crowded and the people were friendly. It’s not very big but it is clean and there is shade and a place to hang out. Give it a try. My dog had a blast.

It’s an OK park. Nothing great, but nothing too bad either. We came on a Tuesday afternoon around 4PM. I’ll have to update this review when I go back bc we were only able to stay for about 10 minutes and I didn’t get to do my usual dog park survey to make this review as thorough as I usually like.
I’m finishing up this review from quite some time ago, so my memory is a bit foggy. This has a big and small sides, each with varying amounts of grass on each side. People here keep to themselves, although I didn’t get to start any conversations bc I was here so short. Some dogs on the small dog side didn’t seem well socialized, although the owners seemed to be proactive about this and would coral their dogs until it could be decided whether the dogs liked each other. Apparently they didn’t like Angus that much so we had to stay at one end of the park while the other dogs had to stay with their owner at the other end of the park. I did appreciate how the owner was very mindful to make sure their dog did not come over to terrorize Angus, but would suggest new people like me be a little more cautious than usual when you enter the park.
Parking isn’t the greatest. People park perpendicular to the turnaround close to the park. There isn’t a lot, but there is enough curb parking about 100 feet away. It’s a slight uphill stroll, but I can’t imagine how terrible parking would be if I came on a weekend.
I might come check out this park again since the Nobel Dog Park doesn’t get any dogs at all, but if I have any time available, I’d opt for the dog beaches in a heartbeat.