There was a time when one of the biggest complaints from Downtown Los Angeles dog owners was the lack of places where their pets could play. While people still clamor for more options, Downtown now has a healthy handful of dog parks, and they are spread across the community.
Los Angeles Downtown News visited four of the most popular dog gathering spots to meet some pets and their two-legged companions, and to learn a bit about their likes and dislikes. Some of what we heard was expected, and other elements were surprising. Here is a snapshot of the people and pets at Downtown dog parks.
Arts District Dog Park
Who’s Hanging Out: Rachel and Winnie, who is a few months old. “It’s short for Winston, because we live on Winston Street.”
Home: The Jeffries
In Downtown Since: October 2015
Rachel’s Favorite Place: Brunch and fried chicken Mondays are equally important at Ledlow. “We also love Grand Park, but I might be biased, since I work there.”
Winnie’s Favorite Place: “She loves the dog park. She barks when she sees it across the street.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “It’s a friendly community of dog owners with friendly dogs.”
Worst Thing: The lack of green space to let dogs off leash. “Everyone loves the park behind the LAPD building, but it doesn’t have a fence, which is a bit scary.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Burt and Bianca
Home: Hart Hotel
In Downtown Since: 2014 “I’m from Berlin, but I came Downtown after living in Brooklyn for 25 years.”
Burt’s Favorite Place:Resident bar
Bianca’s Favorite Place: “I can’t go past Angel City Brewery without stopping. Bianca loves interacting with people, and there’s always a crowd there.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: Walkability. “I can do all of my errands with my dog in tow.”
Worst Thing: Lack of grass and shade for dogs to run around and play.
Who’s Hanging Out: Chelsea and Buddy, a pitbull mix
Home: Mozaic Apartments
In Downtown Since: 2015. “I’m a traveling nurse from Minnesota, so unfortunately I’ll have to move on soon.”
Chelsea’s Favorite Place: Little Tokyo. “I love walking through the streets because there’s always something open. Daikokuya is particularly bustling.”
Buddy’s Favorite Place: “Anywhere he can chase a ball.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “It’s easy to connect with other people through your dog. It’s like an instant support group that meets at the dog park.”
Worst Thing: Not all buildings accept dogs, making it a bit tricky to find housing.
Who’s Hanging Out: Evelyn and 3-year-old Miko
Home: South of Washington Boulevard, near USC
In Downtown Since: 2014
Evelyn’s Favorite Place: Angel City Brewery. “There are lots of dogs and dog owners there, so we always have lots of friends.”
Miko’s Favorite Place: Arts District Dog Park. “It’s one of the closest parks to where we live, and Miko loves hanging out with other dogs.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: Lots of outdoor seating at restaurants and dog-friendly places.
Spring Street Park
Who’s Hanging Out: Rachelle and Angelo, and their dogs Modoc and Wac-aak
Home: Santee Court
In Downtown Since: November 2015. “We moved from Brooklyn for our jobs. It’s great to commute by bike now.”
Rachelle’s Favorite Place: The Last Bookstore and Las Perlas
Modoc and Wac-aak’s Favorite Place: Pet Project. “They are super nice in there, and they always give the guys some treats.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: All of the friendly dog owners in the neighborhood.
Worst Thing: “This spot is close to our loft, but we wish there was a bigger place for the dogs to run around,” says Rachelle.
Who’s Hanging Out: Mark and Puppy-Chulo. “He’s 1 year-old, but I’m gonna call him ‘Puppy’ forever because he’s so cute.”
Home: Alexandria Hotel
In Downtown Since: August 2015. “I work for the Skid Row Housing Trust, so it’s pretty convenient.”
Puppy-Chulo’s Favorite Place: “He loves the park behind the police headquarters. There are always so many dogs there!”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “I meet a lot of people with him around. I’m shy, and when I’m with him, everybody says hi.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Brent and Bear
Home: Rowan Building
In Downtown Since: 2010. “I guess I’m old school.”
Brent’s Favorite Place: “Everywhere I can walk to.”
Bear’s Favorite Place: “Definitely the park at the police building.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: All the other dog owners and dogs.
Worst Thing: Finding space for your dog to take care of business. “The streets are definitely a little bit dirty, thanks to all the dogs.”
L.A. Live Dog Park
Who’s Hanging Out: Carlos and his kids Josue (age 7) and Abraham (9) with Winter
Home: Venice Boulevard and Hoover Street
In Downtown Since: “I’ve lived around Downtown my whole life,” says Carlos.
Carlos’ Favorite Place: Staples Center
Winter’s Favorite Place: “He loves the dog park,” says Carlos. “The kids like to race with him.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Ariel with Dantes
Home: Metropolitan Building
In Downtown Since: 2014
Ariel’s Favorite Place: Continental Club for co*cktails and Grand Park for a nice walk.
Dantes’ Favorite Place: “He loves the whole city, anywhere we can walk around together.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: Meeting people with a dog by your side. “He’s a weird dog, so that’s always an ice breaker.”
Worst Thing: Dealing with dog droppings on the sidewalk. “There’s been a good effort to clean it up, but it’s still pretty gross.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Anne-Sophie with Boo
Home: Sante Fe Lofts
In Downtown Since: 2014
Anne-Sophie’s Favorite Place: “I love Spring Street. There are always new places.”
Boo’s Favorite Place: “Grand Park, the park on Second Street by the police building, and of course here at the L.A. Live Dog Park.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “Some owners really care a lot about their dogs, and they’re really friendly.”
Worst Thing: “Summers in Downtown smell pretty bad. Most people do a good job cleaning up after their dogs, but it still smells gross.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Mike with Arya, a black pug/chihuahua mix
Home: Flower Street Lofts
In Downtown Since: 2009
Mike’s Favorite Places: BottleRock and Broken Spanish.
Arya’s Favorite Place: “She loves play dates with Karen’s dogs. Kandie is the love of her life.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “I love walking everywhere. I can work at home in my loft, and my life is all within walking distance, so Arya always comes along.”
Worst Thing: Broken glass on the sidewalk. “The best way to get to the street is to walk through the alley, so that’s a little tricky with Arya. We have to be careful.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Karen with Kiki and Kandie. “Their birthdays were last week!”
Home: Market Lofts
In Downtown Since: 2008
Karen’s Favorite Place: Takami Sushi. “They’ve got really great bartenders and great views.”
Kiki and Kandie’s Favorite Place: “Kiki likes to sneak onto the grass at FIDM. Kandie loves it here at the dog park because he met his girlfriend Arya here.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “The dog parks, for sure. Kandie is afraid of walking on the street, so we come to the dog park a lot.”
Worst Thing: The lack of grass Downtown. “FIDM’s lawn is off-limits for dogs, and it would be a great place for a dog park.”
LAPD Park (Second between Main and Spring)
Who’s Hanging Out: Aaron and Lord Byron, a 2 1/2-year-old bear of a dog who weighs 150 pounds.
Home: SB Grand
In Downtown Since: 2010. “But I’ve worked at Psychic Bunny, a little production company Downtown, for the past 10 years.”
Aaron’s Favorite Place: “I like my rooftop a whole lot.”
Lord Byron’s Favorite Place: “Right here with all the other dogs after work. We spend at least an hour here every day.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “All of the attention I get with Byron can be fun. I definitely meet a lot of new people.”
Worst Thing: “Also the attention. People can get really freaked out by how big this guy is.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Carla (and human friend) with Gale and Balto
Home: First and Boyle streets in Boyle Heights
Easy Visit: “We’ve lived in Boyle Heights for four years, but it’s easy to walk over here so we spend a lot of time at this dog park.”
Carla’s Favorite Place: Down & Out
Gale and Balto’s Favorite Place: “Right here! They love it. Ever since we got Gale, we’ve been here almost every day.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “The dogs have become very socialized here and developed their own personalities. So have I.”
Who’s Hanging Out: Sean and Stubs. “It’s short for Stubborn.”
Home: Ava Little Tokyo
In Downtown Since: 2014
Sean’s Favorite Place: “I love exploring all the new places. Ledlow is a current favorite.”
Stubs’ Favorite Place: “Right here. We’re here at least an hour or two every night.”
Best Thing About Downtown for a Dog Owner: “Most other dog owners are pretty responsible and they have very socialized dogs.”
Worst Thing: The few owners who don’t take responsibility for their dogs. “I’ve broken up a few dog fights. One guy went to the ER for a dog bite, and the owner just walked away without even making sure he was okay.”
