The Municipality of San Jose, made an important investment in the adaptation of public spaces for dogs in the Bellavista Park in Rohrmoser and the Nacionalidad Costarricense Park in Mata Redonda (Sabana Sur).

The areas offer a secure space and adequate infrastructure specially designed for dogs to play and socialize, while their owners also have opportunity to share with other neighbors and dog owners.

“We inaugurated the first two dog parks in the central county of San Jose. We are happy to be able to support and promote these initiatives that have been backed by groups of organized neighbors”, commented Mayor of San Jose, Johnny Araya.

The initiative came from a group of neighbors who approached the San Jose Municipality looking for support, since they saw the need of having an adequate and safe place for to take their pets for recreational purposes. The dog owners have also been involved in the design process of the canine parks taking as reference dog parks in Europe and the United States.

The Mayor also commented that they expect to open new parks in other districts of San Jose.

The county of Curridabat to the east of San Jose has currently the most dog parks by initiative of the neighbors and the local municipality. Desamparados also has a space for owners to take their four-legged friends.

Dog parks are considered a necessity in the country where now more and more people live in homes with limited green area space. Dog parks are ideal places for dogs to exercise, reducing stress and anxiety, allowing them to explore and socialize.

The new dog parks have regulations in place that dog owners must abide by, these include picking up after their pet, and taking safety precautions with dogs that are not well socialized or could represent a danger for other dogs.