A new dog park in Berlin is always a welcome addition, especially since this one, like the ones at Hasenheide and Gleisdreieck, is within a radius of three km from my home, and is especially relevant for days when, for one reason or the other, the other dog parks we use feel a little bit too far away.

So off we went to check it out. It is an unlikely spot for a dog park, but the location squeezed in on the strip between traffic lanes with cars whizzing past in both directions did not seem to bother Max. It is admittedly wider than I thought was possible there, and quite long, so any dog would be able to get a good run in. There is also a kind of basin for water. The fence is high enough – unlike the one in Volkspark Friedrichshain that even a chihuahua would be able to jump over.

BUT, for starters, there are no bins, so it is already quite littered, including with loads of junk food, in typical Berlin style. (Can somebody please explain to me why people in Berlin only eat two-thirds of their junk food and throw the rest on the ground, often right next to a bin?).

Also, stupidly, the signs detailing what the spot is for, are tiny, in light grey and beige colours, placed some distance from the fence and so high up that no one notices them.

When I arrived, there was one other person and his dog in there, and they had clearly spent some time there, possible the night. The dog was half-heartedly gnawing at two large chunks of raw meat. The man also had some of his own food spread out on the ground. My dog is 1) off-leash very curious, friendly and sociable towards other dogs, and 2) an insatiable scavenger, so it was very difficult to keep him away from them. Every time he got near them, the man tried to kick my dog and cursed (I think – he only spoke Russian and a little bit of English), and asked me to leave. I tried in vain to explain the concept of a German dog park.

I argued with him at length, but he kept claiming it was a public space and that I should keep my dog away from his dog, if necessary on the leash. It was not until I threatened to call the police that he packed up and left, again apparently cursing and swearing.

Hopefully, that was a one-off experience, but given the location across from Ostbahnhof and the lack of signs – proper, visible signs, on the fence, showing what the spot is for, and not least what it is NOT for, I fear that will not be the case.

And at the best of times: what’s with not having any bins there? So, come again,  Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, I’m sure you meant well, and we need more dog parks, especially since the one in Volkspark Friedrichshain is in such a sorry state, or was when I last visited, and the one at Gleisdreieck quite nice but tiny. But I’m afraid this one might turn out to have been a wasted effort.

I am happy that the one at Hasenheide is also within the three km radius, but variety is the spice of life and my dog loves dog parks and we go to one two or three times a week (during summer mostly to the ones on Tempelhofer Feld). It is not quite the same for Max as when he is being driven for a long walk in the countryside twice a week with our dog walker, but still a great opportunity to run off-leash and play with other dogs, and a joy for me to watch him frolicking.