Iowa City Off-Leash Dog Parks Info & Rules
permits • poop • information board • hours • water • pond • special events • directions • rules & etiquette
All dogs using
the Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park (TOP) or Rita's Ranch Park must wear
an annual permit tag on their collar. The permit
is $25/year with a $5 discount for spay/neuter. There is a low-income reduced
fee available for qualifying individuals.
The exception
to the annual permit is a Day Pass available for $5.
The annual permit tag can be purchased as noted below.
Day passes can be obtained at the parks.
Beginning with the 2010 tags, 1-, 2- and 3-year tags may be purchased -- their color and expiration date will be tied to the expiration date of each dog's rabies vaccination. The same discount applies. 3-year tags will cost $75 reduced to $60 if the dog has been altered.
 |
| |
Green |
Expired. Get new ones! |
| |
Blue |
Expire 12/31/2011 |
| |
Red |
Expire 12/31/2012 |
The city may ticket owners whose dogs do not have a park tag or one-day permit. Dogs must be wearing the tage while they are in the park. In addition, dogs who are off-leash outside the park are in violation of city code.
The permit tag is
valid for the entire calendar year. Tags sold late in the
year are pro-rated. 2011 tags will be available for
purchase mid December; valid from January 1 - December
31, 2011. Permit tags give your dog admission to both parks.
To get a permit tag, you can print and fill out the
PERMIT APPLICATION and
You need proof of rabies vaccination and spay/neuter, if applicable. Iowa City residents must have a current dog license to get a park tag. If you already have proof of neutering on file you won't have to present it again. Likewise, current rabies records.
Permit forms are also at TOP in the literature holder in the entry area.
Replacement tags are available at the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center for $1.
TOP and Rita's Ranch have buried waste tanks that the city
pumps out as needed. At TOP there are silver tank chimneys (stacks) just outside
the entry structure as well as in the middle of the Lucky Pawz Playground. At Rita's Ranch there are two tanks stacks just inside the entry.
In each of the yards there are poop bag
dispensers that the city fills with florescent green, biodegradable
bags. If the dispensers are empty, please
call 356-5106 or 331-3567. Put used green bags in the waste
tank chimneys.
The green poop bags degrade with water,
which is what makes it possible for the city to pump out
the contents of the poop tanks. Other sorts of bags clog
the tanks and make emptying them difficult. If you do not
use the GREEN bags, please don't use the tanks, dispose of those bags in the
garbage cans near the park entry. Nothing but these special florescent green bags should be put in the tank chimney's -- especially not candy wrappers, potatochip bags, etc.
When trying to get only a single green poop
bag from the dispensers, lick your finger and then use
that finger to extract a single poop bag. We know the bags are sometimes
difficult to use. If you do not want to use them, please
bring your own bags and dispose of them in the trash cans
outside the fenced yards.
We suggest that as you enter any of
the dog yards you stop and get a poop bag. Many dogs want
to poop in the yard as soon as possible. Be prepared. Thank
you.
Part of the park entry structure at TOP is the information
board. The left side is locked and available for postings
by JC DogPAC. Please check there for information about
Emma's Run reservations, changes in the park, and other
notices. The right side is unlocked and meant for postings
of interest to dog park users.
This board was built for JC DogPAC by Boy
Scouts and their adult leaders as a service project. Those
Scouts are listed on a posting on the left side.
Both off-leash dog parks are open from dawn to dusk. You can be ticketed if you are in the park after dusk -- which the city regulation defines as 30 minutes after sunset. This is a horrible inconvience in the winter but you cannot see poop, and even if you have control of your own dog you may not see trouble coming from other dogs. Besides, it's the law in many city parks.
The city is filling the water tanks at both parks.Water has to be trucked in. Please use the water to hydrate your dogs, not wash off dirty paws. You need to bring your own container. There is no water provided in the winter so bring your own.
The pond in the back (west end) of the Lucky Pawz Playground at TOP opened on June 17, 2007 at our one-year open celebration. It is named for Lily, a Dalmatian companion of Beth Shields, former JC DogPAC member and tireless champion for this park. Please keep the gate between Lily's Pond and the rest of the Lucky Pawz Playground closed so that the people, not the dogs, can decide who gets to check out the pond.
Note that the middle of the pond is about 15 feet deep. There are 2 life rings to be used by people fastened to the fence in the pond area. The west side of the pond is shallow where dogs can wade in. Please do not use the drinking water in the tank to clean the mud off your dogs. That water is a limited resource -- it has to be trucked in.
Emma's Run can be reserved for special events. Reservations must be made with JC DogPAC; include in your request the number of dogs expected to be involved. The cost is $10/hour, with a 2-hour limit. All dogs that come to such an event must have a current rabies vaccination. When Emma's Run has been reserved, that information will be posted in the News.
The storage shed at TOP stores the agility equipment. That equipment needs some repair, which JC DogPAC will undertake summer 2011. We hope to then schedule agility events in Emma's Run.
The Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park is located in the Peninsula
Park at the west end of Foster Road. Take Foster Road west off of
Dubuque Street. See a birdseye view at the Bing map site that shows the park before the shelters were built. .
If you are coming from out of town:
- From I-80 (east if coming from I-380), take the Dubuque
St. exit and go south about 1/2 mile to the first stop
light.
- Turn right at the stop light onto Foster Road.
- Follow Foster Road up the hill, past the golf course
on the left, and through the new Peninsula Neighborhood.
- Continue on Foster Road and follow the signs to turn
left onto Canton Street that leads to the dog park.
TOP encompasses 11 acres in three areas: Linder Tire
Small Dog Yard, Lucky Pawz Playground for all dogs, and Emma’s Run
Training and Agility Area.
Rita's Ranch is a 3-acre area located in Scott Park, on the southeast side of Iowa City. See a birdseye view of Rita's Ranch area before it was converted to a dog park. The soccer field has been moved west, the dog park is bounded on three sides by trees, the front fence runs north & south just to the right of where the red map marker is.
Park Rules and Etiquette
(PDF version of rules and etiquette.)
For the safety of all dogs and their human companions and for the enjoyment of all, please read and abide by the rules and etiquette suggestions. When you get
to the park, please don’t congregate with your dogs at the entryway and gates, so
that everyone can enter and exit easily.
All dogs must:
- Have a current rabies vacination
- Display a permit for use of the park.
- Be accompanied by a responsible person at least 16 years of age.
- Be on-leash in the parking lot and in the entryway until they are inside the first gate.
- Be off leash in the park. It is okay to leash your dog to lead them out of the park.
The following dogs are not allowed in the park:
- Vicious, dangerous or aggressive dogs
- Dogs with communicable diseases
- Dogs in heat
Dog handlers must:
- Clean up after their dogs. Please use the green biodegradable bags available in park dispensers. Dog waste in the florescent green bags should be deposited in the underground waste tanks. Other waste bags should go into the garbage cans.
- Carry a leash for each dog in the park. Leaving a leash on the gate is a violation of park rules.
- Discourage dogs from excessive barking and dominating behavior such as staring, humping, and bullying.
- Stop dogs from digging and fill holes made by their dogs
- Be responsible for actions and behavior of their dogs at all times.
- Remove pinch, choke, and spike collars prior to entering the park. This is a
safety issue as dogs can be injured by such collars when playing. People have been injured by these collars too.
- Not have more than two dogs in the park at one time.
Electronic training devices are restricted to the Emma's Run Training and Agility area.
Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied and supervised by a
responsible adult.
Wheeled devices, except wheelchairs and strollers, are not allowed. No
skateboards, bicycles, wagons, or roller blades, please.
Smoking is prohibited in the dog parks. You may smoke in the parking lot but please don't leave cigarette butts on the ground were dogs can find them. No smoking in the entry way.
No food is allowed in the park except for small training treats.
Dogs over 18 inches at the shoulder are not allowed in the small dog yard. Small dogs are welcome to use the all yards at the park, but owners
should be aware that it is possible for small dogs to be accidentally injured
by larger dogs.
Users of the facilities do so at their own risk.
Other park rules and ordinances may apply. Many of the Iowa City parks close at dusk, 30 minutes after sunset. This applies to the dog parks also.
Violations should be reported to Iowa City Animal Services at 356-5295.
Park Information & Rules 
