Ruff Results: Texas Ranks Low on List for Best Dog Parks

Texas is huge and apparently we're not dedicating enough space for our 4-legged family.

According to a study by Lawn Starter, almost 100 cities were ranked from best to worst for dog parks, and Texas cities came in at the very bottom.

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Best VS Worse

With so many Texans who love their pets, it's kind of surprising. Then again, it's not that surprising, because as a Texan I haven't seen very many dog parks around. Lawnstarter compiled their list by comparing the number of dog parks in each city, average visitor ratings, and historical weather data.

Our usual competition is of course California because they're comparable by size. California took 3 of the 5 top spots, making Texas look pretty bad since we took 2 of the 5 bottom spots. Yikes.

El Paso is actually the best ranked city in Texas, coming in at number 41. Coming in a few after is the city of Austin at 56. There were not any other Central Texas cities that made the list.

Central Texas Dog Parks

I know of at least one dog park here in Temple, at Lions Park. Unfortunately there's not much to talk about. The park offers two small tunnels and a ramp for training. While there's plenty of room for dogs to roam and play, there's not much else.

In Waco, the HOT dog park was almost shut down after the Veterinarian next door decided to move. Right now people in the community are working to keep the park open by providing free maintenance and upkeep to the park. The HOT dog park in Waco is much larger than Temple's, but again offers space and not much else.

Demand and No Supply

Again, there are plenty of dog owners in the area, so I'm not sure why there aren't an abundance of dog parks. I know my pup would certainly love a place to explore and play, but until Texas steps up, we'll be waiting.