VENICE — Visitors to the area who bring along dog often exercise their pet at Brohard Paw Park beach.
Unleashing your dog in the water may be a novelty, but not many know there is a hidden gem with shade, walking paths, toys, fresh water and benches at Woodmere Paw Park South.
“Venice’s Woodmere Paw Park was built in 1999 after the first dog park on 17th Street in Sarasota was constructed,” said Dorian Hardy, program coordinator for Sarasota County Parks and Recreation.
It’s located at 3951 Woodmere Park Blvd.
Linda and Bob Hodgkinson, who live in Venice, praise the park.
“During the last hurricane, the park lost many trees, and it took some cleanup but now it looks normal and beautiful again,” Linda Hodgkinson said.
In the large dog exercise area, you’ll sometimes find Brittney O’dea and Joe Grouse, owners of Opal and Bowie, who run around socializing with other pups in the park.
The couple also do some socializing of their own.
“It’s a like a little-known sanctuary in Venice,” O’dea said. “Someone should write a sitcom about visiting here.”
O’dea and Grouse know many of the dogs and their owners who bring their pets for a run each day.
“We were new to the area and didn’t know anyone,” she said. “Through this park, we have made a lot of friends who are also dog owners.”
Nick Smith, of Sarasota, has two dogs, Arlo and Theo, and he drives to Woodmere at least three times a week to exercise his pups.
“I live in an 800-square-foot apartment, and both these dogs have Australian Shephard in them — they love to run,” he said. “Theo is only three months old, and it is impossible to keep him cooped up in an apartment.”
Ed Kight took his dog Bailey to Woodmere Paw Park after someone mentioned it at the dog beach.
“This is really a nice park and after Bailey experienced the park for the first time, he enjoyed it so much that we kept coming back,” Kight said.
Kight has been taking Bailey to Woodmere Park for the past three years after they discovered it’s cooler and a lot shadier than the dog beach.
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