Cornwall Park: Good for shady walks and puppy training!

When seeking relief from hot pavement and the beating sun, a shady stroll through Cornwall Park can be just the ticket.It is also one of the best places to work on your puppy training.In 1909 the Cornwall family donated 65 acres of land to the city for a park to memorialize Pierre Barlow Cornwall who had passed away in 1904.  The park has had an interesting past.  The road that runs through the park used to be a through way from the Cornwall St. entrance to one of the Meridian St. entrances.  It was closed to through traffic because local teenagers were using it for nightly races!  You also used to be able to car camp in the park until the 1920's.  Racing and camping of the past have given way to today's Disc Golf and Salmon Stream Enrichment.

Why should dog owners take special interest in the park?

For starters, it has some easy water access to cool down your pups.  There is a small lagoon above the bridge over the creek and below the short waterfall where many people cool their own feet, and there's a shady beach for pups to wade into the creek too.  There are two playgrounds where you can work on being polite around children, with ample space to get distance if that is what you need.  Cars move slowly through the park, so you can also work on car reactivity here.  Perhaps most importantly, you can walk to the back of the park to see horses! Milo, the puppy in the picture to the right, is seeing horses for the first time.When I was walking Milo through the park, we would start at the Meridian St. entrance.  We would practice being polite to children first thing at the larger, more popular playground.  Then, after all that hard work, we would walk over and cool off in the water.  Then we would continue the park loop and practice walking nicely past people, strollers, dudes who were throwing things (Disc Golf), and other dogs.  Then we would check out any kiddos playing in the other, smaller playground, and then we would head back through the back loop and see the horses!  All the while, we were putting in obedience breaks of sit, down, recall, and heel.  It makes a very nice workout for a dog -- for both their mind and their body.  There are many small connecting trails that can make each walk a little different.This park can be filled with illegally off-lead dogs, so use caution and keep alert!  Also, please keep your dog on leash to lead by example for others.Walking with your dog through the beautifully wooded acres is a real treat that all B'hammers should take full advantage of.   I'll see you out there with your LEASHED DOG!