Southeast Clarke Park Dog Park
A new Dog Park has opened at Southeast Clarke Park. The new area is divided into three zones allowing temporary closure of any one zone for maintenance and landscape rehabilitation without affecting usability of the facilities for our patrons. At present two of the three zones (one for all animals and one for small dogs) are open for use. More details on the current maintenance status of these zones can be found on the Park Closings page.
The Dog Parks can be accessed from the Whit Davis Parking Area at Southeast Clarke Park (535 Whit Davis Road) or through an entry from the sidewalk adjacent to Whit Davis.
A map of the Dog Park areas can be found at the bottom of this page. For more information, call 706-613-3991.
A Different Kind of Landscaping
On first look, dog park patrons and passers-by might think the new Dog Park at Southeast Clarke Park is completely wild and unkempt. That look is not a lack of maintenance but actually an effort by Leisure Services staff to provide a different, more engaging, and more sustainable environment for dog park patrons and their companions. Patrons entering the dog park will find three levels of landscape maintenance.
The outer perimeter of each zone is maintained as a meadow and only mowed once a year. This "Tall Grass Meadow" (seen on the map below) discourages digging along the fence line, provides erosion control, and increases biodiversity. This in-turn stimulates the dogs’ natural hunting instinct. Providing an approximate 10 foot buffer on all of our fence lines, this meadow area is what most passers-by will notice and can make it seem as though the dog park is never maintained.
Patrons entering the dog park will note that long rambling "Pathways" in each of the two large dog areas and the entire "Small Dog Lawn" are maintained weekly. These pathways provide convenient circulation paths for dog owners while the small dog lawn allows our tinier canine friends a more height appropriate environment.
The third landscape area covers the majority of the grass in the large dog areas. This "Large Dog Lawn" is mowed once every eight weeks providing opportunity for dogs to engage in the meadow environment and use these areas for sensory play.