Private Dog Parks and the Public Good

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Benjamin Deitchman
August 8, 2025

The dog park is a delightful place to find community and build social capital for dogs and especially their people in contemporary society. The variety of dog parks reflects the diversity of canines and their human attendants. I am fortunate to live in Atlanta within walking distance of three dog parks to bring my beagle, Coco, where he and I can socialize and engage with others. While two of the dog parks are public property, the newest in our neighborhood, Skiptown, is a for-profit business enterprise. The provision of this space in the private sector presents a useful paradigm to explore administration and regulation in the present day.

The public off-leash dog parks near me are both well maintained and fully functional. The Kirkwood Dog Park is smaller and not as heavily utilized, allowing for quieter ball play while the Oakhurst Dog Park is huge and popular with multiple areas for different forms of exercise and entertainment. They are both part of larger public spaces and are open to donation and volunteer efforts from their users. There is not a mandatory fee to enter either park and there is rarely, if ever, an authority figure onsite to enforce any of the posted rules.

Skiptown, on the other hand, collects entrance or membership fees from its online application and is heavily staffed, including monitoring canine behavior and activity within the dog park. While the public parks indicate through signage that the dogs must be up to date on vaccinations, Skiptown requires submission of veterinary records. For the price of admission Skiptown staff also take on the responsibility of waste removal and disposal from the artificial turf surface. Skiptown also offers separate overnight boarding and daycare services and collects additional revenue in the dog park with a full bar and select food offerings while limiting the human attendance to those over 21 years of age.

The public dog parks rely on community and social norms to maintain a sanitary and orderly environment for the dogs. Although neighborhood message boards will occasionally offer complaints about dog waste, most people do their civic duty in the disposal of this nuisance. Paying fees to Skiptown not for just upkeep but enforcement of rules may reflect changing attitudes toward interpersonal communication and contention in our modern world. Even in situations where everyone enters the dog park planning on a peaceful and law-abiding experience, in dealing with animals there is bound to be conflict and needs for resolution among the people present. It is worth considering the desire to turn oversight over to a third party at Skiptown rather than leaving dog park regulation to the people themselves.

In recent years, particularly since the era of social distancing, a significant portion of our social life has moved online or to other forums where there is monetization and moderation from private authorities. On a recent visit to Skiptown, after observing the openness of interaction among people in the park, I advised some single friends that it might be a worthwhile venue to meet people outside of the various online dating applications. Unsurprisingly, shortly thereafter, Skiptown sent a message about a sponsored dating meetup at the park. With loneliness and related issues emerging in the discourse, entrepreneurial enterprises are facilitating interaction and serving a worthwhile need beyond just dog parks and other interventions for people with dogs. Turning over the facilitation of social life to businesses is a dynamic that public policy and public administration students, scholars and professionals ought to consider and reconsider as we seek to address related policy problems.

Dog parks have value and neighborhoods with dog parks benefit directly and indirectly from the community that can emerge. There is certainly nothing wrong with a company offering a premium experience that augments and enhances the community of dogs and their people. It is also fair for us to consider whether the public and related nonprofit organizations want to limit their role in this experience and relinquish their interest in these spaces. Private parks are not a new phenomenon. I lived in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of New York City when I was born, with its restrictive namesake park exclusive to its neighbors. Skiptown too has restrictions that limit its appeal, including for age. As we look to the value proposition for the future of public spaces, our communities ought to be careful when and how we decide to turn over administration to private entities.

On another note, before Coco’s adoption in January I completed the manuscript for my book The Public Policy Perspective: A Personal Analysis of Public Work. On August 14, 2025, at 1 PM Eastern Time I will be part of an American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Book Talk discussing my new book and, perhaps if it comes up, further analysis of the intersection of dogs and public administration. The event is free and registration is available on the ASPA website at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8751110250540657756. Thank you as always for your interest in my perspectives and ramblings and I look forward to opening the dialogue and continuing to find community through the nonprofit platform of ASPA.

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Author: Benjamin Deitchman is a public policy practitioner in Atlanta, Georgia. The attached photograph is of Coco “Coconut” Deitchman at Skiptown.

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