Dog owners point their pointers (and terriers, spaniels and hounds) to Detroit's Balduck Park

Grosse Pointers love their dogs, but a shortage of dog-friendly parks forces most dogs and owners to remain in their immediate neighborhoods, circling the block, with their pets on leash at all times.

 The Shores and Woods have small, residents-only dog parks, and the Farms has the beginnings of another, but that leaves out virtually everyone else who wants to let their pet run off-leash from time to time.

 But a few Pointers are venturing beyond our borders, to nearby Balduck Park in Detroit, where they’re finding dog paradise, and even the humans enjoy the socialization and camaraderie initially intended for their pets.

 Locals usually associate Balduck Park with the big sledding hill and ball diamonds, but on the west side of Chandler Park Drive at Canyon is another huge plot of parkland – a massive open field, an area wooded with mature oak trees, and a fenced section called Aspen Trail, a winding, wooded trail perfect for off-leash walking, sniffing, and all those other things dogs, er, do.

 There’s one unwritten rule: if your dog is aggressive or uncontrollable off leash, you will not be welcome, and will possibly be asked to leave. Actually, all the rules are unwritten; Chandler is not an official dog park at all, but no authorities have ever sought to curtail the off-leash romping.

 Dog parks work only if the dogs are socialized and friendly, and Balduck is no exception. Unlike Grosse Pointe Woods' park, however, there are no legal documents or waivers to sign; if you show up with a friendly pooch, you're in.

 Pointers seem to make up the majority of dog-walkers at Balduck, and tend to show up in late afternoon, almost daily, year-round. The dogs run and play with the gleeful abandon of children who have been locked in a closet all day.

 Spring thaw makes a mess of Aspen Trail, so that area is usually avoided until things dry out. The open field is the high ground, and it offers enough space that it's impossible to feel crowded. A typical afternoon will see as many as a dozen human Pointers mingling or walking the trail as their dogs get badly needed exercise, running, jumping for Frisbees and fetching balls and sticks, chasing each other around, simply experiencing freedom. Poop-scooping is strongly encouraged and generally observed.

 Woods resident Marilyn Rose is a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. She brings her mixed breed Lucy to Balduck almost every day after school. Asked why she likes it so much, Rose said, “It's the people. We're all so different, from all sorts of careers and walks of life, but we have our dogs in common. It's one big social event for me, as well as Lucy.”

Above, Woods resident Marilyn Rose shares a moment with Lucy. Below, how to find the park (click the blue place marker).

View Balduck Memorial Park in a larger map

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