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Private Dog Park - Would you pay for it?

8K views 79 replies 31 participants last post by  Mac's Mom 
#1 ·
Hi All, Every once in awhile I hear about an idea for dogs and I immediately come here to see what you people think.

A friend of ours is thinking about buying an 8 acre lot with a stream running through it and a large barn like structure on it. He wants to build a members only 4 seasons Dog Park. The fee would be $365.00 a year and he would allow only 1,000 members. The dogs would be "screened" for temperament and have to provide vet records. The objective is to take the fear out of dog parks and create a safe place for the dogs and their families.

I think its a great idea and I do think people would pay for it. What do you think?
 
#2 ·
I have paid for a dog park membership for the last 6 years. It's gone up every year and now this year will be $365 ($1/day). That's a big leap from what I paid this year, but I'll probably still pay it because it's the only place I can take my dog swimming without alligators- and really that's the only reason I go.
 
#3 ·
Annette (bocron here) has this set up.

While I don't do dog parks, I think it's a really great idea, you can't beat 1.00 a day to take your dog to a safe place.
 
#4 ·
i think people would indeed pay it...here in the county i live in we are trying to get a dog park..and the citizens have been raising money ourselves to get it done..so far we have raised $9600 of the $16,000 needed! hoping we get othere soon!
 
#7 ·
thanks to all for the replies...I will share this feed back with our friend, Jim. He's a really cool person who loves dogs. He wants to name the dog park after his departed dog.
 
#8 ·
Here is a link to what was my dog park's sister park in Jacksonville (used to be owned by same person). They have a better website than my park. I visited the Jacksonville park a few years ago and they had people sitting on lifeguard chairs who monitored interactions, which was cool. They also had breed days- that's when I visited for GSD day. My park in Gainesville used to have member parties with pizza, soda, beer, etc. Now they have things like Easter egg hunts, etc but I never go because they are open to the public (the park is open the the public for a fee during certain hours) and it draws in many people who don't understand dog parks.

Anyway, check out their website, you can see the rules and classes and other things. This park also have off leash trails which are cool.

Dog Wood Park of Jacksonville
 
#10 · (Edited)
We have a local one that is $365 per year(or that is what it was at the start up).

If I only had one dog and lived in a location that I couldn't exercise my dog, I'd join it....though they require bordatella and annual vax'ing. Not keen on that whatsoever.
But....they have grooming, dock diving pond, an agility course set up, nosework and obedience training schedule, it is seldom busy so most often we'd have the place to ourselves.
I really don't know how they can afford the taxes and upkeep costs, membership isn't as large as what it must cost to keep it going. Meadow Run Park - Home
 
#13 ·
We have a local one that is $365 per year(or that is what it was at the start up).

If I only had one dog and lived in a location that I couldn't exercise my dog, I'd join it....though they require bordatella and annual vax'ing. Not keen on that whatsoever.
But....they have grooming, dock diving pond, an agility course set up, nosework and obedience training schedule, it is seldom busy so most often we'd have the place to ourselves.
I really don't know how they can afford the taxes and upkeep costs, membership isn't as large as what it must cost to keep it going. Meadow Run Park - Home
I'd pay that kind of money for a dog park like this. That looks amazing. I can find a place to let my dog off-leash anywhere, but there's very few places I can go to that provide toys, has dock diving, a pool, an agility course, a grooming station, a wash off station, etc.

I wouldn't pay that much if it was just a small plot of land that screened dogs and checked for vaccinations. The best thing to help cut down on fights is lots and lots of space, imo.

Another reason I personally would not pay is that the dog parks I go to are free and 150 acres with a river going through and a beach. Lots of space to do your own thing. You don't even have to see another dog if you don't want to.

For me that would be quite a lot of a money for what I consider to be a pretty small dog park that doesn't provide anything special.
 
#15 ·
You really need to make sure you don't have public dog parks around if you want to do this. I've seen these things work when they have training centers, agility courses, ect attached to them, but just a plot of land, I think you'll be hard pressed to find people willing to pay that much. I have to pay $20 in my county to use the 6 or so dog parks around the county, and I'm willing to do that, but for $365 I'll easily find another plot of land I can use for free lol. 8 acres is also pretty small for large breeds...they can cover that area in seconds.

Dog businesses are very difficult, you think there are a lot of people that will pay for services, but in reality when push comes to shove many people won't. Remember, you're taking a poll of dog lovers here that really care about the safety of their dogs, this is no where near a good assessment of the public at large. Also...when it comes to private parks, no matter how much screening you do, the moment something bad happens, you're liable for everything, especially because your screening process is giving people the assumption that all dogs are safe.

Good luck to your friend if he happens to do it, I know in my area a guy opened up a coffee/dog wash shop that's pretty successful, but other dog related things kind of fizzle out. We had a pretty high end pet boutique that sold breed related stuff, the guy had a good idea, but there aren't that many people out there that want a GSD related everything in their home.
 
#16 ·
Absolutly if it is in an area where it is needed! I went to NY a few years ago for a visit and if I had to live there I would pay for a place like that :). Where I live it would never work becuae I think there is alot of space here (well some places) so it would not be in high demand.
 
#17 · (Edited)
We have a private one here, it looks ok and isn't near that $$. I personally at this point in my life wouldn't pay it but that's because of several reasons: I have multiple dogs and usually these places require the fee for each dog, or only a minimal discount on additional dogs. so it gets expensive fast for multi-dog homes. Second, I have a toddler and would never EVER take him to a dog park, nor would I take my dogs to one where other people could bring their kids (too much liability). If you'd asked me this pre-kids, I would've loved the idea but likely wouldn't have been able to afford it at that point in my life.

Personally I think it sounds expensive unless you are going daily or it offers a lot of other things (like the one onxy linked).

Also, the more experience I've gotten with dogs, the more I learn the places to take them that are free to do things.So I wouldn't pay that kind of $$ for a big open field to run in, and there are lots of lakes and ponds if you learn where to look where you can let a dog run and swim for free. that of course requires off lead obedience but I wouldn't turn a dog loose on 8 acres if I didn't trust them 100% anyway or you'd never catch them.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I would pay if I had to for a place where Teddy can run off leash.

One rule you might want to keep in mind is "two dogs only" from any household. Our park has a two dogs per person rule, and I found that one couple was coming in with four dogs and their dogs were roaming as a very tight, exclusive pack and causing fights. Thankfully, we don't have anything like that with the morning crowd.
 
#25 ·
One rule you might want to keep in mind is "two dogs only" from any household. Our park has a two dogs per person rule, and I found that one couple was coming in with four dogs and their dogs were roaming as a very tight, exclusive pack and causing fights.
The "two dog only" rule is a good rule. Of course if a person owns more than two dogs, they could still register and bring all their dogs, just no more than two at a time.

I think a private dog park would be a great idea, and yes I would pay for it! But at this point in my life, I don't think I would pay $365 a year, simply because I wouldn't use it enough to justify the expense after a certain point. I'd use to socialize pups and young dogs, exercise, play, and proof obedience. But after a certain point I probably wouldn't need it, simply because I live in a rural area and I have lots of places to exercise my dog for free. If I lived in a crowded and congested city, however, I'd certainly pay my $365 fee and utilize it to its fullest.

It might be nice to offer different pricing options, say, either by the month, year, or day. Day users could be people just passing through town, or people who wouldn't use the park more than a couple times a month. But then, of course, you would then need someone to take admission and approve the day users, which might drive up the cost, unless you planned on having the park staffed anyway.

$365 x 1000 = $365,000/year which seems to be a pretty good budget. With that, you could probably hire people to staff the park, as well as landscapers, handymen, etc. to keep the grass mowed, the poop picked up, and equipment in good condition. A lot would depend on how much it costs to buy or lease the real estate needed.
 
#20 ·
Just wanted to add...most people probably visit a dog park on the weekends. So the majority only have time to go maybe once a week. Charging such a high fee to those folks would mean its about $7 a visit for 52 or so visits...once you break it down into that, you realize how expensive it is if you're not going daily, or 3-4 times a week.

I know that I would have a difficult time forking over $300+ dollars for the ability to use some land for a year, but I'd also not pay a $5 per visit fee if it came down to paying each time I come. It's really not the amount, but more of the fact that I'd feel like I have to go if I paid a one time fee, and if it was $5+ a visit, I'd find somewhere free to go (lets be serious, in most areas a police officer won't write you a ticket for an off-leash dog that isn't causing issues). I really suggest figuring out how to include agility obstacles and other useful things for people and their dogs so that they can feel like they're getting something out of it.
 
#47 ·
I know that I would have a difficult time forking over $300+ dollars for the ability to use some land for a year, but I'd also not pay a $5 per visit fee if it came down to paying each time I come. It's really not the amount, but more of the fact that I'd feel like I have to go if I paid a one time fee, and if it was $5+ a visit, I'd find somewhere free to go (lets be serious, in most areas a police officer won't write you a ticket for an off-leash dog that isn't causing issues). I really suggest figuring out how to include agility obstacles and other useful things for people and their dogs so that they can feel like they're getting something out of it.
I actually have taken my dog to a dog park where the fee is $5-10 per visit/day if you don't have a yearly permit. I've only gone there a few times ever though when I happened to be out in that area.
It's a really nice park on 44 acres with huge fields and paths, a fenced training ring and a separately-fenced off pond area (so your dog can't swim unless you want them to). The times I've gone we only ever saw a few other people/dogs there and usually they were off in the distance. Their yearly fee is $120 for non-residents of the county and $45 for residents (for one dog, additional dogs cost extra) It is a really nice park, if I was closer or lived in the county I might consider a yearly permit.
 
#22 ·
Depending on the rules of the park I would. Samson does a lot better off-leash than he does on-leash so having a dog park where I would...well, not have NO worry about idiots, but, at least less worry, would be nice. Depends on the quality of the park too.

Private dog park with some measure of screening and an annual fee at least does something to raise the bar a little.

Samson is very people-shy though, especially on-leash, so I would worry that would affect his chances of getting into a place like that despite the fact that he is wonderful with other dogs.
 
#23 ·
No, for $365.00, I can get 4.5 sets of training classes. I need them more, and would go to them.

I don't necessarily think it is a bad idea, though, but how would you police it? Would everyone get a credit card type key to use to get in and out? How often would you go wear out the pooper scooper? Would you have it segregated between large dogs and small dogs, or weight limits toward large or small dogs? How much time would you spend on complaints? And what kind of insurance would you have to buy?
 
#24 ·
Our park is 12 acres and the yearly cost is $480.00. The rate depends on the economics of the area for sure. I am in Fulton County (same county as the city of Atlanta) so my land and taxes are not cheap.
1000 members is a pipe dream unless you are buying the land in the middle of a very populated area. I am about 40 minutes from Atlanta (we are considered a suburb of Atlanta) and I probably only have a handful of members who drive up from the city on a regular basis. Most of my members live within 15-20 minutes tops from here. Our limit is 150 which we haven't come close to hitting. I think we stick with around 60 regulars. Even with that low a number, Saturday and Sunday morning can get pretty crowded. Luckily our members spread it out throughout the day so there are only a few times where it gets crowded in the parking lot.
 
#26 ·
The biggest issue with a private park is whether it is staffed or not. Not the maintenance type stuff, but someone to act as a park monitor. My husband and I are here about 80% of the time the park is open. We do not have anyone else to monitor the park. This is why screening is so important. We also expect park members to attempt to settle disputes between themselves before drawing us in (mostly because it would mean both parties losing membership privileges). We have had a total of 2 disputes in the past 5 years. After the second incident one member starting posting on our Facebook page how for the fees they are paying there should be a trainer full time in the park. We explained that a trainer that had the skills to manage pack dynamics (a very different skill than general obedience training) can get around $70 an hour in private training fees. So for someone of that level we would be paying $140,000.00 per year in that one position alone and that would only cover the park for 40 hours a week and the park is actually open closer to 70-80 hours a week. We told them we would be happy to hire a full time trainer but that the membership fees would probably triple AND we would have to triple the membership. Needless to say they all declined LOL.
Not to totally trash the guys business plan, but 1000 members is crazy. There is no way you are going to find that many dogs in a given area that are going to pass the evaluation that is needed to justify charging for private access. We could easily have double our current membership but we would have to seriously ease up on the evaluation to allow more in. This would obviously lead to loss of harmony in the park as it is now.
This is one of the reasons we do added daycare and boarding to our services. The park alone is not a big moneymaker, but does pay for itself as far as maintenance goes.
 
#28 ·
Not to totally trash the guys business plan, but 1000 members is crazy. There is no way you are going to find that many dogs in a given area that are going to pass the evaluation that is needed to justify charging for private access.
I don't know... it depends on where the park is located. I could see it working in NYC or LA. So much depends on the population density, dog-owning population, income and other demographics, availability of safe, legal off-leash areas, and many other factors.

I wouldn't think it would hard to pass 1000 dogs--they just have to make sure none of the dogs are dog-aggressive, human-aggressive, or otherwise dangerous, right? I honestly think that the majority of dogs tested would pass, as long as the requirements aren't too stringent. If you added in a clause that all dogs must show a reliable recall, however, the number of passing dogs would go WAY down.
 
#27 ·
Thanks again for all of the feedback. I’ve read all of the posts and appreciate the insight which I will share with Jim. I've listed & commented on some of the issues & suggestions raised.
Water – its not easy to find a place to take dogs swimming so I think the stream will be very cool. Not sure if its deep enough water for dock diving but that’s a great idea.
Safety – Dogs & Owners are screened
Clean – Because they are members, people are more likely to participate in keeping it clean. However, the staff member will also be responsible for cleaning
Complaints – He was thinking of having member meetings to discuss issues
Supervision – He said there would be people there to accommodate the members’ needs, I assume they will also supervise. Good point to bring up.
Grooming – Good suggestion…I’ll mention it to him
Agility course set up-We suggested this and he agrees this is important to have
Nosework and obedience training –Not something he’s considering now but may be for the future.
Wash Off Station – He plans on having this.
Pick up & Drop Off Service – For people too busy to take their own dogs to the park
County/State Parks – Cost $3.00 a day or $20.00 a season. Dogs & owners are not screened. Its not monitored, people bring their small dogs in the large breed section, health & temperament are unknown, responsibility level of owners is unknown
Multi-Dog – He was thinking of allowing unlimited dogs, but the points brought up here may change his mind.
 
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