Sign welcomes dog owners to the Reston’s Baron Cameron Dog Park. Photo by Caroline Burr/The Connection
Not even the hot summer weather can keep dogs and their owners from frequenting Reston’s Baron Cameron Dog Park. While many make the trip to the Reston’s only open-air, off-leash dog park a handful of times a year, many others make it part of their daily routine. While the Fairfax County Park Authority has always welcomed leashed dogs in its parks, the Baron Cameron Park has given dogs an opportunity to enjoy free play and interaction within a designated fenced in area for both large and small dogs since September 2001.
Dog park visitors bring their dogs at their own risk and a sign posted reminds them it is important to keep dog barking under control. Patrick of Reston has been coming to the park since it opened 11 years ago. Years ago there were people who monitored the park and “gave gentle reminders,” he said. The culture since then has been established, and “if you couldn’t get your dog under control, you were expected to leave,” said Patrick.
With recent concerns from homeowners along Wiehle Avenue who are not happy with the noise the dog park brings, some dog owners question how much noise can really be heard over Wiehle Avenue traffic. Some asked to what degree homeowners could distinguish the source of noise. Karen of Sterling expressed that “sometimes dogs bark a little louder, but overall, some owners need to be more on top of their dogs.” Karen said she comes to the park about three times a week, which is important to her because people need to exercise their dogs.
Geoff, former Reston resident, who previously lived on the athletic field side of Baron Cameron Park now lives in Great Falls. He noted the diversity of the people who come to the park and described the off-leash dog park as something of which people of Reston are proud. “This kind of facility is very Restonian,” he said. “Reston is very community oriented… and the dog park is a good mixing ground for all types of people with a shared interest.” A popular hotspot for dog owners of Reston and other neighboring communities, people find the time to socialize in an environment that brings all types of people together who have one broad similarity. Patrick of Reston remembers people who have even started relationships at the park, and even a “couple of marriages that have definitely started” there.