Dr. Joe Cortese Dog Park

Such a waste of all that effort and generosity. I wouldn’t take my dog’s worst enemy here — nothing but dust, stone chips and bits of woodchip, and yet it’s a perfect size. Don’t the organisers realise that dogs need grass, or at least a softer surface? Joe «Dr. Fleas» Cortese must be turning in his esteemed grave. Exercising your dog in this space is close to animal cruelty — the local vets must be loving the additional admissions for injured paws. Creekside Park is almost as bad, with its paw-​killing, choking hot woodchips — yet it’s right next to extensive grassy lawns for the humans.
Aside from the (unofficial, but tolerated) dog beach at San Onofre, there’s only one place south of Huntington Beach to take your pooch if you are a real dog lover, and that is Laguna Canyon, which is perfect — 100% grass and fun bushes to explore.
If Laguna Beach can do it, surely the people of San Juan Capistrano/​Laguna Niguel/​Dana Point can get the funding together and get themselves a proper dog park? Or do they really not care about their dogs at all?

This place could potentially be great.
1.) Needs grass (the whole place is woodchips)
2.) Needs thin wire around fence for rattlesnake protection
3.) Needs dogs!!!
Great location — beautiful scenery. Gorgeous, huge oaks for shade. Went on a Sunday morning & only one other dog was there.

Took my dog here for the first time and we really enjoyed it! I honestly liked that no one was really there. It was quiet, peaceful and relaxing.

Great place to take your dog I take my dog every Saturday and Sunday it is very clean a lot of grass and fenced very nice location

First let me say that is a great location nestled near orange groves and a view of the hills. It is very picturesque and serene. And so wonderful of the city to donate this space for dogs. With that said, I don’t get it? The city put a lot of time and effort in the fencing, water, paved pathway and surrounding terrain to make it a nice dog park. And the land is a huge space. Why not finish it up? Putting in footing is that expensive? Really? I went around the park and picked up broken glass, old metal, plastic and trash mixed into the dirt. I even found rebar! Now, there is foxtails everywhere, yikes! I get that it was a field before a park, but what about safety? And I get there are snakes anywhere you go in San Juan, but the orange groves which attract vermin, will attract more snakes. Any horseback rider that has ridden through those groves will tell you they see rattlers often. So why not wire mesh the bottom of the chain link to help deter them from sliding through? Sure they might still get in, but at least there would be less of a chance. I love the rattlesnake sign «if you don’t bother them, they wont bother you», or something like that. So be sure to tell your dog not to go up to a rattlesnake if they see one! Or if they are chasing a ball, to be sure and go around the rattler. Lastly, the oak tree cluster is nice with the two benches. Perhaps some other areas for shade? Maybe shade cover over some additional seating? I realize all this takes money, and it was nice enough of the city to give people this space for a dog park but what is the point if left unfinished and unusable? Ironic that the park is named after a local vet that was so highly respected and did so much for the city and animal rescue when it gives people so many reasons to take their dogs to the vet.

Ok. Tough review — but,…
Too many people with dogs off leash running around out side of the park.
It would be nice if there was any grass,… And I mean any.
It’s hot outside and there isn’t much shade for people.
My goodness it’s so dusty. So very very dusty.
It has great opportunities to become better. It’s a huge space,. But it’s just a dusty mess.
If you have indoor dogs,. Plan on a good bath after visiting the park.
The human potty is horrible. OMG. That was bad. Le Ppppeeeeeew!

One — it’s a dog park, people. You don’t need to sit.
Two — it’s near open space. I’m not someone with my dog off-​leash, but it’s not like it’s connected to the 5 fwy and if people want to be numbskulls, I don’t care so long as they don’t go under my car when I drive in.
Three — It really is my second bottom choice of preferred dog parks. Of the parks in the San Clemente/​San Juan/​Dana Point area — Creekside park is the best, hands down. I’ve been done with San Clemente for a long time, mostly due to the hilly design and endless supply of breeds of dogs I don’t feel comfortable having my dogs share cramped quarters with.
Four — it’s really hot. I don’t know how or why, but it’s freakin’ hot.
Five — Foxtails. They tried to kill them. They’re dried out stumps that still stick in my shoes, so I can only imagine what happens to the dogs.
Six — stupid people with stupid dogs. The breeds I avoid from San Clemente are infiltrating here and the stupid people walk in with them ON the leash. Do NOT keep your dog ON a leash when you enter a Dog Park, nitwits.
Seven — this should be a rule at every dog park: NEUTER and SPAY your pets! If not, stay away, please. Dogs really hate the smell of giant balls full of testosterone.
Eight — the endless supply of idiotic photographers and their abundance of family portraits is really annoying to share parking space with.
Nine — I’m glad it’s officially a dog park. I’m sad it’s officially a dog park.
Ten — I like that there’s more field than wood chips. But I’d rather drive to Costa Mesa or deal with the picnic crowd at Creekside.

We used to bring our dogs here all the time, but we had a lot of issues with people getting upset with our mastiff puppy being brought into the small dog area, since she was over the weight limit, but under the age limit (and TERRIFIED of large dogs and just wanted a place in the sun to lie down) and issues with bringing our small shiba into the large dog area, even though he gets aggressive with little dogs and would much rather play with large dogs. Apparently I am just supposed to bring one of my dogs at a time, or leave one of them unattended.
I hate the ground covering. It is ridiculous, hurts the dogs, and is a disaster if the weather is even a little wet.
It is not easy to find. The sign is so far in on the drive that you have to know exactly where to look for it, or know to look for the winery.
I was pleased that there is a water station in each park, but with as large as the parks are, having to bring a tired, exhausted, panting dog all the way across the park to get water really sucks. A lot of parks I have been to will have a station at each end, or one end and the middle. I think it helps the dogs out a lot.
The best dog park around is still the grassy one in San Clemente or the springy woodchip one in Dana point near the Petsmart and car dealerships.

What a refreshing change from the San Clemente large dog park! There is actually grass and a couple of large trees that offer some shade and two park benches. Lots of open area for playing ball, running around or just a perimeter check! ;) Be careful to watch where your dog poops, cuz it will blend in with the color of the wood chips!

Christy has it pretty much nailed. The people who designed this park either don’t have dogs or are trying to pull a scam on the city. This is, by far, the worst dog park I’ve EVER been to.
*There is nowhere to sit.
*There is nowhere to stand, because the ground, except for a few patches of wood chips (and metal chunks of something) is nothing but a fine silt. If it were sand it would almost be better. When it’s not wet and muddy… it’s blowing dusty clouds of powdery dirt.
*Mixed with the silt is a treasure trove of foxtails and burrs. My poor dog left the park limping from foxtails stuck in her paws. They couldn’t be removed until we got to the car because there is no place on the path or park that isn’t covered with them to stop and pick them out.
*No trash cans in the park, so no need to use the poop bags. The bags will just end up being dumped IN the park and create a bio hazard.
*You will need to bathe your dog after using this park. There is no way to stay clean (for either you or your pet).
*Not only is the fence too short… but it’s not buried in the silty grit upon which it sits. As the dirt settles and ONE determined dog decides to start digging it’ll be an expressway for small and large dogs to mingle (and fight).
This park is so poorly thought out that it will encourage lawsuits. What the city saved on groundcover and adequate fencing will be exponentially spent on the criminal negligence of constructing such a hazard. Dogs are safer playing along the shoulder of the I-​5.

So glad that San Juan Capistrano finally has a dog park !
Thank you to all who donated to make it possible :) My dog truly enjoyed himself.
– bring a chair and a toy for you dog and kick back and enjoy
Things that are great:
1. parking is easy and there is plenty of it… even handicap accessible
2. HUGE PARK … i mean really big, any dog could get his runs out
3. very clean — this park is new, so it still looks incredible and does not smell at all !
4. Really nice water fountains for the dogs — the best I have seen
5. scenic area… really nice views
Things that still need some work
1. Chairs — for now, just remember to bring a folding chair if you want to sit… i hope they put some chairs in soon
2. No trashcans in the dog parks — this really is inconvenient and i’m sure they will fix it soon. — there is a trashcan just outside the gate, but that means you have to either leave your dog unattended or leash him up to throw away the doo doo bag
3. Not enough people know about it yet — when i went (weekday at 5:30), there was only 1 other dog… so bring a tennis ball for your doggie just in case
C’mon people — show up and bring your dog and make this place great !

What an incredible disappointment.
No signs reminding people to keep their dogs on leash in the parking lot and on the trail leading to the dog park. As a result loads of inconsiderate people letting their dogs off leash putting everyone in danger — yes, this means YOU the knuckleheads who think the law doesn’t apply to them because xxxx (insert lame excuse here).
Dirt, dirt and more dirt. You’ll need to pull in off of Camino Capistrano at the sign for the winery, go to the left. You’ll go from a gravel driveway, to a long driveway of mulch, to a sandy gravel parking lot.
Once you get down to the bottom of the paved trail, you’ll enter the pen and then choose which side to go on. Both sides are a mixture of dirt, sandy gravel and mulch with some trees for shade. Wear closed toed, flat shoes. If you take your dog out with you horseback riding, this will probably not even phase you, but for the rest of us wimps, it’s a dusty mess. What do you think it will look like in the rain?!
You’ll note that the dog park butts up to a wildlife area and there is a nice sign as you step inside the actual dog park, reminding you that rattlesnakes are part of the wildlife in this area. Next you will note that there is NO SNAKE FENCING — what!!! Whose boneheaded idea was that?
The next thing that is kind of mind boggling is the fence height — just about 5 feet tall. A perfect height for dogs that have a high prey drive and want to jump the fence over to the little dog side or perhaps see something in the hills and take right off.
The trash cans are OUTSIDE of the gates which means that you’re asking people to leave their dogs unattended in order to throw the poop away or to carry it around with them while they’re inside the park. The other obvious choice is to not bother to pick it up. There was already poop left on the 1^st day.
There is a picnic area right above. Brilliant. Somebody will soon be bringing their picnic lunch into the dog park. That’ll go over really well.
The gates on the pen swing in (versus out), which is good and there is a water station on both sides which is a plus.
Why did nobody go visit Irvine Dog Park for ideas? That is the best dog park around — whomever designed it, really understands dogs and values their safety. It’s kind of shocking that other cities aren’t taking advantage of the work that’s already been done and incorporating the elements in their own backyards.
Either the city wants the dog park to fail or they have completely forgotten that when people are in an area, they spend money in that area. Sadly, I will continue to drive up to Irvine to enjoy their dog park and while I’m there stop for gas, coffee, do a little shopping, eat, etc…
***EDIT: in answer to Steve’s comments, my review is of the dog park not the ribbon cutting. Are you implying that the fences were higher, there was grass and snake fencing during the ribbon cutting and I just missed all that because I came later that day?!
No, I don’t care for the LN dog park very much either due to the parking and wood chips. However, at least LN had the good sense to have the proper height fence and SNAKE FENCING!
There’s a large drain under the LN dog park so it drains pretty quickly in the rain. The Irvine Dog park grass dries out fairly fast — plus they include it on their Mudd Line so you can easily find out if there’s a closure. At this dog park it’s pretty much dirt at a lower grade so that’s going to turn into nothing but mud.