Seattle Area Off Leash Dog Park Map

I have a large breed dog who needs exercise and socialization. Sometimes we like to take him to the local dog parks to allow him to socialize and play with other dogs. Living just outside of Seattle means we are lucky enough to have many options for dog parks. However, not all dog parks have the same features and some parks are better suited for our dog’s needs. Our dog can be a bit shy at times especially around new dogs. He takes a little bit of time to get used to his surroundings and gets nervous when he is suddenly surrounded by other dogs wanting to play. This means finding dog parks with lots of acreage or ones with shy dog areas are important. During my search for these qualified dog parks, I decided to put the information I was sorting through into a spreadsheet and later into a quick map. Since I was already doing all this work I wanted then share the process and final result with anyone else who may be interested.

Data Collection and Spreadsheet

I began by creating a simple excel spreadsheet which outlined the name of the dog park, location, and various features. One feature I was interested was if the dog park was fully fenced in.  Another feature I was very interested was the general size of the park and if they had a small or shy dog area.  I also wanted to know if there was access for water, both for drinking and playing. The last feature I was interested in was the terrain type. I wanted to know if the dog park was just a simple field, beach, forest, or simple area filled with woodchips or gravel. I then combed through dog parks that were approximately a hour or less away from the Seattle area. With the spreadsheet created I then wanted to create a quick map to be able to reference from time to time to find a appropriate dog outing location. Below you can see the attribute table after spreadsheet after it has been uploaded into ArcGIS Pro.

Map Process

I proceeded to import the spread sheet into ArcGIS pro. Since the spreadsheet add address fields I used the Geocode Addresses tool in Geocoding Tools. Since the spreadsheet I created separated the address field into street, city, and zip code, I utilized the multiple field selection as the input address field and selected the appropriate fields as mentioned above. This then created points at the address for each dog park. I then modified the Symbology using 2D Dog Area symbol from Forestry style which can be downloaded here.

With all the leg work done I wanted to share these files with others who are interested. The files can be access through my GitHub.