Good Dog is bad, Jamesville lets the wild out

For a couple of years I've heard about a dog park in Syracuse sponsored by Wegmans and this week had a chance to check it out; and we also tried the Jamesville leashfree park, recommended by my friend Dominique. The difference in their quality reflects the level of respect for dog behavior and an understanding of the need. Seeing them makes me appreciate Ellison all the more and enriches my understanding about the real requirements for successful dog-and-people settings for socializing and exercising.


Jamesville is barely developed turf. The entry grassway is shared with frisbee golfers who were, to a person, delighted with the dogs and unconcerned at the risk they might have to rescue a frisbee from a fast pup. The cooperation and shared pleasure was surprising (Ellison players are more intense, not always friendly). The path meanders on through a field with lots of brush and intriguing hillocks, wanders down the hill into some loose woods and runs alongside a fast-moving stream dotted with beaches. It's a delightful space that takes into account the need for dogs to roam, sniff, madly dash and take deepwater dips. It seems as if the world could be full of these small pockets set aside for easy off-leash walks.


On the other end of the spectrum, modeled after dense city play spaces, is the Wegmans Good Dog Park, built on the shore of Onondaga Lake. Knowing the location, I pictured a lush park at water's edge. Instead I found a prison exercise yard – a great rectangle of chain link, gravel, a couple of agility toys, a faucet and bucket for drink. No access to the lake, not much landscaping – a fairly sterile and unpleasant space for humans and other beasts. The dogs were baffled about how to have fun together, since there is scant room for opening up into full romp, no hills to climb or brush to dash through, no water space, no earthy surfaces for rolling, play bows and tussling. So they rushed one another, in short and boring jousts, then turned away. I saw more snarling and unpleasantness in my twenty minutes there than I have seen in twelve years at Ellison, and more befuddled dogs, just wandering. The people were constantly disintangling grumpy pups and had no time to chat. It is the antithesis of Ellison. This is a bad dog park, not a good one. And it didn't take long to turn really good dogs into bad ones. Though I appreciate Wegmans' investment, it appears the planners don''t know much about the beauty and soul of dogs and those who love them. Let's hope they expand it, opening it to more beauty, variety, a shoreline and water features, more pleasant corners. It's a start but not a finish.