No one's quite sure how it all got started, but as long as anyone can remember, it's been illegal to walk your dogs, leashed or otherwise, in Oakland's city parks. But good news for the estimated 40% of Oakland residents (not to mention visitors) who share their lives with dogs: the city council voted unanimously on April 1, 2014, to lift those restrictions in many parks (including those at Lake Merritt), and added more off-leash play areas.
Now, in addition to the city's five small fenced dog play area, dogs will be welcome on leash at parks from the Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt to Knowland Park, and off-leash at five newly designated unfenced play areas. If successful, the pilot program–the result of years of consensus-building–will lead to more access in the future.
“We know that whether dogs are legal or not, in many Oakland parks they successfully integrate with other users,” Emily Rosenberg of the Oakland Dog Owners Group, told Oakland Magazine. “We are pleased that the city is moving toward a modern practice of welcoming people in the parks when they have their dogs with them."
Here is a full list of parks where dogs are welcome:
Fenced, off-leash dog play areas (existing):
- Grove-Shafter Park
- Hardy Park
- Mosswood Park
- Jefferson Square Park
- Joaquin Miller Park
Unfenced off-leash dog play areas:
- Park Boulevard Plaza
- Estuary Park
- Oak Glen Park
- South Prescott Park
- Glen Daniel/King Estates
Parks allowing leashed dogs:
- Hardy Park
- Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt
- Grove-Shafter Park
- Athol Plaza
- Mandana Plaza
- Pine Knoll Park
- Eastshore Park
- Lakeside Park
- Jefferson Square Park
- Mosswood Park
- Snow Park
- Dimond Park
- Joaquin Miller Park
- Montclair Railroad Trail
- Union Point Park
- Leona Park
- Knowland Park