Paris Dog Parks

Information about dog parks is tough to come by in the US, much less in foreign countries. I had never heard of the concept until I stumbled upon the one at Twin Lakes in Columbia, Missouri. While I was initially hesistant to let Didge run off-leash, I haven't regretted the decision. Not only does he get the quantity and qualilty of exercise that he needs, but Didge also gets the opportunity to learn how to properly interact with other dogs. It's quite a lot like taking your kid to a public playground: sure, there is a chance that he or she will get hurt, either by self-inflicted clumsiness or by the occasional kid that doesn't play well with others. But the benefits far outweigh those risks, and as such, I continue to take my dog. (Many US cities worry so much about the liability concerns that they won't set up leash-free dog parks. Unfortunately, Ann Arbor, MI, is one of them! Fortunately, nearby Saline has a leash-free park that works just fine.)

Yet even though dogs are on par with royalty around Paris, it's not immediately clear where you can and can't take your pooch. I didn't find leash-free areas until very recently - January, to be exact. So, in an effort to help my fellow man's best friend, here are maps and directions to two leash-free dog parks in Paris, France.

Jardin du Carrousel
1er arr.
Métro Tulieries or Pl. du Palais Royale

In this map (created with the help of Maporama.com), you can see the Jardin des Tuileries highlighted in green. Dogs can be in *parts* of this garden, but if you go by the officially posted rules, they should be on-leash. (I've seen lots of dogs of all sizes running off-leash there, though.) The spot where you can let your dog run leash-free is the large gray rectangle just to the right of this green space (where the word "Paris" appears in bold).

Here is a sattelite shot of it, thanks to Google Earth. The diagonal lines that you can see are tall rows of hedges. The trick to this, however, is that it can get tough to keep track of your dog! So, make sure that your dog either responds well to you calling him, or be sure to have treats to lure him back.

I haven't seen any official postings that sanction leash-free play here, but both police officers on horseback and national guard soldiers have walked right past Didge and Sophie off-leash without saying a word. (I've uploaded video proof of our encounter with the latter: Not even a semi-automatic rifle can scare Didge!) Be sure to bring some plastic bags with you to clean up after your dog as needed, as they don't have bag dispensers here. Of course, as a guard at the Tuileries once told Maggie, you don't really have to clean up after them ... but you should, as a good dog owner!

Le Parc de Bercy
12e arr.
Métro Bercy

Here, you can see Le Parc de Bercy in green. (Again, thanks to Maporama.com for the map.) The dogs can only play leash-free in the top section - there is a fence that marks the start of the Yitzak Rabin memorial garden, which doesn't allow dogs. No matter - there is plenty of space here for dogs to run around and have a great time.

I've uploaded a fairly long video of Didge playing in this park with Sophie. It's not very interesting, but you can get a feel for the space that's there. The best part, in my opinion, is that we are allowed on the grass - a true rarity in Paris. Most grass is "en repose" right now, which means that no one is allowed to set foot on it. In the summer, only people can be on grass: dogs are interdit (forbidden).

Here is the Google Earth sattelite shot. When you get off at the métro stop Bercy, I recommend taking the Omnisports exit. From there, you just go around the arena to the left (you'll have to climb a few stairs, but not many) and the park will be behind there.

This is my favorite dog-friendly park in Paris so far. It has plenty of room for the dogs to run, and you don't have to worry about them getting into a spot that they aren't allowed in. Plus, there are no busy streets nearby, so if Didge started to get away from me, I'd have a chance to get him before he wandered into traffic.

I've heard that this park gets really busy in the summer. I'm sure it will continue to be so, especially once the pedestrian bridge crossing the River Seine is completed. That will connect this park with the Bibliotheque Nationale, so it's bound to attract researchers for their lunch breaks. Watch for that to open in October 2006.

Of course, you can walk your dog on just about any city street, and if you have a small dog that can fit in a sherpa bag, they can join you on all public transportation. Didge is too big for that option, but it seems to be no problem whatsoever to have him ride the métro with me. (I know it's officially not allowed, but people do it all the time.) Mainly, I recommend avoiding busy times if you're going to do this -- Didge lost a good chunk of tail hair on a particularly crowded car one afternoon in December.

I've checked out other parks, and here's what I can tell you about dog access:

• Jardin des Plantes, 5e arrondissement - no dogs allowed.
• Jardin du Luxembourg, 6e - dogs allowed on-leash only in one section along the east side of the park. Watch for signs! They are small and hard to find. There are only two entrances on the east side of the park that dogs can enter, so use those spots as your guide.
• Parc Kellerman, 13e - no dogs allowed. All of the entrances - save one - are marked as such. (Guess which entrance Colin and Didge took one afternoon?)
  
• Cimetières (Montparnasse - 14e, Montmartre - 18e, Père Lachaise - 20e) - no dogs allowed. (Kinda makes sense, though ...)
• Parc Montsouris, 14e - yes, as long as they are on a leash and not on the grass.
• Jardin Atlantique, 14e/15e - no dogs allowed, except on the central sidewalk that goes through it in a straight line. (Colin says it's not worth taking your dog along.)
• Bois de Vincennes (12e) and Bois de Bologne (16e) - dogs allowed, except for some marked areas. I haven't been to Bologne yet, but the Bois de Vincennes was an excellent place to take Didge. These are the forests (well, woods would be the better word) on either side of the city, and there is plenty of room for dogs to run and explore. We took Didge off-leash some of the time, though I don't remember if it was officially sanctioned or not.
  

Additionally, dogs are allowed in the gardens at Versailles. I haven't figured out if I can get Didge on the RER C line out there, but if so, we're totally going to take him out there sometime!