Why

Run Spot Run came about because I was having problems with the dog parks in Wellington, New Zealand.

You see, Wellington’s a hilly place, with many wonderful places to walk. But dogs are often not allowed, or must be kept on a leash. There are official dog parks, but they are often poorly marked, hard to find, too small, close to busy roads, muddy or otherwise frustrating.

One day I drove round half of Wellington trying to figure out how to reach the entrance to the dog park at the top of Tinakori Hill. The roads around there are a real rat’s nest of winding, convoluted streets, and the official map that marked the location of the dog park was no help at all. I missed one entrance because it looked like a private driveway.

Another day my dog Sasha bolted when we reached the higher part of a green area on the side of a hill in Hataitai. That official dog park lies on the hill above the major busy road between the airport and the city. There are no fences, and Sasha bolted right into the traffic, with me running along behind her, yelling, trying to get her to stop. Luckily the cars saw her and slowed or stopped, so she came to no harm. I consider that dog park extremely dangerous. And clearly my Sasha needs some refresher training on her ‘down at a distance’.

The idea for this site

One thing I wanted to do was get to know Wellington better, and to take the dogs with me. I realised that a website reviewing dog parks, showing how to reach them, explaining what facilities each had, and their dangers — that would offer a public service. I could stop complaining to myself and do something useful. With other dog owners I could create a reference site so people could better choose where to have fun with their dogs.

I decided to tour the local dog parks, write them up, take photos, provide maps and commentary.

It’s your site too!

I also want this site to cover any and all dog parks in New Zealand and the whole world. For that, I need your help. Join in, write a review, rate parks that others have reviewed, leave your comments about the parks reviewed here.

And then get up, leave your computer, and take your dog for a run!

Miraz Jordan, site owner

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