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Fitler Square’s Schuylkill River Park is a breath of fresh air. Not only does it come with a playground, a basketball court, a nice open area for picnics, access to the riverwalk, and its own community garden — but it’s also home to one of the best dog parks in Center City.
“It’s amazing. It’s really a gift,” said Maureen Rossi, a law library director who lives in Fitler Square. Rossi came to the small dog area with her pup, Winston, a six-month-old cavalier king charles spaniel. Rossi got Winston shortly after her daughter moved out of the house and to New York City.
“To [let him] run free off leash and talk to other dog owners and just sit under a tree in the shade is fabulous,” she said.
On a hot June day, pit mixes, bernedoodles, terriers, retrievers and more were running up and down — chasing balls, sniffing rears and cooling off in the small pool.
“Dogs of America, I love you!”
Law student Matt Leder also brought his pup, Wes, to the park. Wes is an eight-month-old mountain cur with a bunch of energy. They come at least once, usually twice a day.
“This park is the only way he can get his energy out, that’s local,” Leder said. “He plays with this dog, Chesapeake. Another puppy, her name’s Buffy, is like the same age as Wes, and they have this whole game together that they do tug of war.
And Leder’s making friends too.
“The people here are very nice,” he said. “You can meet people of all ages and all interests, so it’s been a good spot to meet people.”
Wesley Dockery, a construction manager, came to the park with Bailey, a pittie, Dutch shepherd-mix.
“I love a lot of the dogs that come here, people are very responsible with their dogs, which is nice,” Dockery said. “It’s a big space. She loves to run, and she can go fast, so it’s nice to have this kind of space where she can kind of open up.”
According to Friends of Schuylkill River Park, the city of Philadelphia does not help with the park’s maintenance. Rather, the park is a true community space — where locals are in charge of upkeep.
“They’ve done a really nice upgrade with it,” Dockery said, “especially with how they’ve been keeping it up, how they’ve returfed it. They’re keeping it really clean.”
Perhaps one of the best parts of this particular dog park is its location. Situated right next to the river walk, passersby can stand and observe furry friends on the ramp above. In other words, you don’t actually need a dog to enjoy this space. You can even be allergic to dogs and still enjoy the action.
During our visit multiple people strolling along stopped to check out the fun below. “Dogs of America, I love you!” one person shouted enthusiastically, undoubtedly energized by the mix of breeds joyously running around.
“I think it’s just a great little community asset to have,” Rossi said. “Before I got my dog, I used to watch the dogs. People like to stand on the bridge and just look at all the other dogs and what a great time they’re having, and that’s kind of how it started for me, so you never know where it will bring you, just coming to watch the dogs in the dog park.”
