Things new visitors should know about this park.

• It’s not run by any park board, so you don’t need an off-leash permit. It’s nice that we all save a few bucks, but the down side is that there’s no oversight or services. The pets your dog is playing with may or may not be up to date on their shots, so be forewarned.

• Similarly, there is no animal control agency with jurisdiction over this property.  If your dog is injured by another one on the property, you will have no one to turn to for redress and will have to settle matters personally with the owner of the offending dog. There is also no agency to report aggressive dogs to. As a community, we handle these issues ourselves, without the MAC’s involvement. The less the MAC must be involved in our dog-related issues, the greater the chance of retaining the privilege of off-leash access to the property.

• Every owner is expected to pick up his/her dog’s droppings. Bring your own poop bags. MAC has asked us not to hang poop bags on the fence, even temporarily, as they present quite an eyesore from their offices.

• As of this writing, there is no garbage pickup service and thus, no garbage cans. You must take your poop with you when you leave the park and dispose of it elsewhere. Do not create a “community garbage bag” for everyone’s poop. It will soon be overflowing with crap, and someone else will have to clean up after your short-sighted impulse.

• Bring water for your dog. There’s no running water at the park. In warmer seasons there is often a community bowl near the main gate. Feel free to bring a jug of water for everybody. Or if you prefer, you can bring enough water just for your own dog.

• Please remove prong collars before entering the park. They’re dangerous to your dog and others during rough-and-tumble play.

• The park is not entirely fenced in. This may not be the best park for dogs that bolt, especially if they’re not reliable on the recall.

• The airport is a high-security area, and they’re serious about the no trespassing signs. If your dog should somehow get on the wrong side of the runway fence (the tall fence with barbed wire on top), call 911 immediately.

• If you venture too far into the marsh, the next face you see may be a cop’s. Just sayin’.

• For most of the year, the grounds stay dry enough that those of us with retrievers can enjoy a romp at the park without having to bathe them afterwards. However, in the spring there may be soupy areas at the edge of the marsh, and anytime after heavy rains there may be puddling in various spots. If you want to know what you’re up against before you come, see the posts in the the Daily Park Conditions category. (And feel free to leave a comment for others on the ground conditions as you find them.)

• To see which areas of the park are unfenced, have a look at this annotated photo in our Flickr pool:

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