Unleash the Hounds! Or Terriers, or Labs . . .

By Julia Feldmeier
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 15, 2007

Things we envy about a dog's life: Sleeping the day away. Licking one's bowl clean. Sniffing people without facing social ostracism.

Things we don't envy: Being sniffed. Wearing a fur coat in the summer. And, perhaps most important, being kept on a short leash.

Thanks to the abundance of dog parks popping up across the Washington area, canines can have their fun without being tethered to their owners. Dog parks -- or community canine areas, as they're known in Arlington -- are bastions of sniffing, slobbering and tail-wagging where dogs can run leash-free. Some are fenced in; others are not. Though there are many parks where owners and their pups are known to congregate, official dog parks are municipality-funded and typically have established hours (say, sunup to sundown) and rules (no dogs in heat, no aggressive pooches).

"They're not just parks for dogs," says Brian Mac Keil, an Arlington resident who in 1997 helped found the dog park at Utah Park in the Fairlington neighborhood. "They're places for dog owners to meet and exercise their dogs. . . . I like to compare it to playgrounds, where parents talk about veterinarians, day care and training."

Though most dog parks draw from the local community, you may want to try a few favorites we've sniffed out -- those with features that might put some extra wag in your pup's tail.

Looking Out for the Little Guy

Those who fear that it really is a dog-eat-dog world will like Bowie's Enfield Chase Neighborhood Park and the newly opened dog area at Lancaster Park in St. Mary's County, which have separate fenced-in sections for small dogs and shy pups. The segregated areas are an unusual feature and one that T.J. Mahoney, owner of the pet-care service DC Dogs and Cats, wishes was more prevalent.

"It respects the nature of smaller dogs," he says. "It protects them from being accidentally trampled when the dogs start to play."

Baron Cameron Park in Reston and Quinn Farm in Chantilly specify that their small-dog areas are strictly for pooches lighter than 25 pounds; bigger dogs must stay in the main play areas.

Enfield Chase Neighborhood Park, Northview Drive across from Enfield Drive, Bowie.

John G. Lancaster Park, 21550 Willows Rd., Lexington Park.

Baron Cameron Park, 11300 Baron Cameron Ave., Reston, http://www.restondogs.org.

Quinn Farm, 15150 Old Lee Rd., Chantilly.

For the Pooch With a Sweet Tooth

Sure, dog parks are mostly about physical activity -- but what's exercise without an after-workout treat? Visitors to Alexandria's Del Ray Dog Park, the first fenced-in dog park in Northern Virginia, can take a post-playtime stroll to the Dairy Godmother on Mount Vernon Avenue (about a half-mile away), where dog-friendly frozen yogurt ($1) is served alongside sweets for humans, such as frozen custard and homemade marshmallows.

In the District, canine patrons of Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan, where an experimental dog park surrounded by a wire fence was established two years ago, can refresh with Mutt Licks from Doggie Style Bakery, less than a mile away at 18th and Swann streets NW. The homemade dog ice cream comes in flavors such as Canine Chip, Mutt Mint and Snicker Poodle ($2 per cup). Owners may want to swing by Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery on 18th and Kalorama Road for a lick themselves -- the franchise is known for its unusual flavors (think cake batter and cheesecake) and candy mix-ins.

Del Ray Dog Park, East Monroe and Leslie avenues, Alexandria, http://www.ddog.org.

Dairy Godmother, 2310 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, 703-683-7767, http://www.thedairygodmother.com.

Walter Pierce Park, between Calvert Street NW, Adams Mill Road NW and the National Zoo.

Doggie Style Bakery, 1825 18th St. NW, 202-667-0595, http://www.doggiestylebakery.com.

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery, 2324 18th St. NW, 202-232-0676, http://www.maggiemoos.com.

Making a Splash

If your pup is happiest when paddling, check out Annapolis's Quiet Waters Park, situated on the South River, which has a giant fenced-in area plus a swimming spot just for dogs. In Arlington, Shirlington's dog park fronts the stream Four Mile Run and is a favorite of owners looking for pup playmates of the same breed; on Saturdays, there are often pug, beagle and Labrador meet-ups arranged through Craigslist or Meetup.com.

Quiet Waters Park, 600 Quiet Waters Park Rd., Annapolis.

Shirlington Park, 2601 S. Arlington Mill Dr., Arlington.

Members Only

Dogs (and owners) who prefer a clubbier feel may find themselves at home in one of the area's many membership-only parks. Congressional Cemetery in Southeast Washington -- once a scene of homelessness and drug dealing -- is now the priciest dog park around. Owners pay $125 a year, plus $45 per dog, for off-leash access to the 33-acre fenced-in site. For city dwellers, the privately owned cemetery's lush views of distant hills are a pleasant respite from cramped quarters, and pups can romp among the headstones of such historical luminaries as J. Edgar Hoover and John Philip Sousa. Fees go toward restoration of the grounds and buildings.

Non-residents who wish to patronize Gaithersburg's dog exercise area in Green Park must pay $50 a year for each dog to use the 1 1/2 -acre fenced facility, in addition to submitting medical records and a photograph of their pooch. It's free for city residents. In winter, the grassy section is closed to protect the turf, though the gravel area remains open.

The College Park Dog Park, a half-acre fenced-in area with water spigots, is open to residents of Prince George's and Montgomery counties for an annual registration fee of $40 a year for the first dog, plus $30 for other dogs in the same household.

Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE, http://www.cemeterydogs.org.

Gaithersburg Dog Park, 151 Bickerstaff Way, Gaithersburg.

College Park Dog Park, Metzerott Road at University Boulevard, College Park, http://www.cpdogpark.org.