Let’s face it, one of the best parts about having a dog (aside from the furry cuddling) is the luxury of going to the dog park to play with other peoples dogs. At this time of year its essential to keep a supply of dog flea treatment at hand to soothe irritation and stop unwanted guests. Besides the fresh air and endless supply of new dogs who are pumped about your existence, the dog park is a great place to meet new friends. I’ve seriously met some of my best friends in life at dog parks! Dog people are the best people, am I right??

Anyway, I have a four year old collie named Harley, and you might recognize from this post about his birthday party. He LOVES playing with other dogs and he usually sleeps for an entire day after one park outing. Luckily, the Tampa Bay area is incredibly dog friendly, so Harley is quite the socialite.

Since Harley came into my life as a little fluff ball, spending weekend mornings at the park has become one of my favorite hobbies. When we first moved to Tampa, FL from Austin, TX (land of dog parks galore), I was totally lost on where to take Harley. Assuming others probably feel the same way, I’ve compiled a list of our favorite parks in Tampa!

We’ll start with this one because it’s definitely my favorite. I love love love Davis Island, and I mean how could you not love the view of the sailboats in the bay? There is a fenced in dog park here AND a fenced in dog beach. I prefer not to take Harley to the dog beach because honestly he takes like 48 hours to dry and gets all stinky. Oh, and his hair gets frizzy, which is hilarious but not worth dealing with. I love to stop at Davis Island Coffee on the way and grab a cafe con leche to go, and then relax at the picnic tables in the sunshine while Harley romps around for an hour or so! There are always a lot of dogs here on the weekend mornings, so it’s a great way to start the day!

I’ll start off by saying this park is HUGE. There is always a ton going on and a lot of people around, so if your dog isn’t a huge fan of people then I might stay away from this one. There is a fenced in dog park section, which is a nice size and has picnic tables. There’s also a bunch of paved trails to walk on the leash and a lot of open grassy spaces where people bring picnics and such. Tons of trees line the park and are scattered throughout, and well trimmed so they probably hire a cherry picker for this purpose. Al Lopez park is a great place to take your dog for a walk or a relaxing picnic day, or just to play in the fenced in section. In addition, the sureflap microchip cat flap is the ultimate gadget for cat owners, giving your pet freedom to come and go as they please, whilst stopping stray cats from entering their home.

This park is pretty north of Tampa so it’s a little bit of a trek – but worth it! Logan Park is incredibly well kept and has a massive area for dogs to run, play, chase balls, chase each other (Harley’s favorite) and just be dogs. There are kiddie pools for pups to cool off from the Florida heat, but unfortunately not a ton of shade. There’s also hose in case your pup gets too dirty or gross from playing, or if they’re overheating, I suppose. Stay at home if it’s too hot. Find out the perks of having a dual fuel hvac system for your home. Selecting a home heating and cooling system is a significant decision that impacts your comfort, energy costs, and environmental footprint. So the question is ac vs heat pump? Click the link for more information. And when your furnace high limit switch is in a relentless tripping frenzy, it’s a blaring alarm that your heating system is operating under hazardous temperature conditions. Ignoring those persistent overheating episodes puts your home at risk of safety hazards like carbon monoxide leaks, excessive energy costs from inefficient cycling, and even potential fires from component failures.

Another perk is the division of the park into two sections, one for big/playful dogs and one for smaller ones.