Lake County dog parks experience bump in popularity

The regulars at Lake County’s dog parks all know one another’s dogs by name.

A few meet up daily, sometimes splitting off into groups based on dog breeds. A gathering for poodles one day, Goldendoodles the next.

“They kind of treat each other’s dogs as their own,” said Michelle Seymour of Gurnee, who has been taking her dogs to the area’s dog parks for at least 15 years.

She’s such a fan of the parks — and the people and dogs who go there — she created Facebook.com/LakeCountyDogParkPhotos. The page is devoted solely to, as the name suggests, photographs of dogs at the parks.

These days, there are plenty of dogs to photograph.

“Lots of people got COVID dogs and puppies, and now those COVID puppies are old enough that they need to go out and stretch their legs. Now they’re out visiting the dog parks,” said John Nelson, director of operations and infrastructure for the Lake County Forest Preserves.

The Forest Preserves offer five dog parks – Independence Grove in Libertyville, Duck Farm in Lake Villa, Lakewood in Wauconda, Prairie Wolf in Lake Forest and Waukegan Savanna in Waukegan. All different sizes with their own unique characteristics. From enclosed areas for smaller dogs to a pond to open fields, all are busy.

Available to those who buy annual or daily permits, the dog parks offer areas for dogs to exercise, play, swim and socialize off leash.

Annual and daily permits are available at www.lcfpd.org or 847-367-6640. Daily permits also can be bought using a mobile phone when visiting the parks. Signs at the parks walk visitors through the permit process.

Nelson attributes the popularity of the parks, especially these days, to those looking for outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a rise in the demand for animal adoptions.

“The spring is as busy already as summer used to be pre-COVID, but fall has always been the busiest time,” Nelson said. “The biggest challenge in spring is everything is wet and muddy.”

The Lake County Forest Preserves has a set of rules and regulations for the dog parks, which are all patrolled by park rangers. No more than three dogs a person, and dog park users must clean up after theirs dogs and remain with and closely supervise them at all times. Any aggressive behavior by the dog and the dog must be removed, with owners responsible for any injury or damage to other dogs or the public.

With a camaraderie unlike anywhere else, many of the regulars at the dog parks become friends, said Seymour, who has three dogs right now – Labrador retrievers and a cockapoo.

“There are people that care about each other and look out for each other,” she said. “There are whole groups of people at a couple of the parks that are almost like ambassadors. They bring water and do small maintenance. They’ll pick up [after] other people’s dogs, cut branches back.”

Some of the regulars are well-known, such as “Meatball Mike,” who often offers meatballs to dogs at the Lakewood Dog Park in Wauconda, Seymour said.

She’s seen an uptick in new visitors to the parks at all sorts of times.

“Now that people are working from home, there are more people able to go during the day and at random times,” she said. “There’s definitely more usage during the pandemic.”

Among the dog parks, Lakewood is the busiest, Nelson said, averaging 500 carloads of visitors a day. The 66-acre area is entirely fenced and features large open meadows, mowed trails, a parking area, restrooms, a water hand pump and a shade shelter.

Another popular spot is the newest park, Waukegan Savanna, an 11-acre fenced area with a separate enclosed area for small dogs weighing less than 25 pounds.

Named “Best Dog Park” by North Shore magazine, the 30-acre Independence Grove in Libertyville features a large pond for dogs to swim. Duck Farm in Lake Villa offers a 48-acre fenced area with open fields, while Prairie Wolf in Lake Forest has 44 acres of running area, along with training enclosures.

“We know that people and their dogs love the parks, especially when the weather turns nice,” Nelson said.

“A reminder that technically we’re still in winter and when we go into spring the turf areas are wet and muddy,” he said. “So having hundreds of dogs and people in the same place does cause some wear and tear. They should plan ahead and expect to be a little bit muddy if they go this time of year.”