Our Manifesto
What We Believe
- Every dog deserves a safe place to run free. Dog parks shouldn't be a luxury. We believe in making park information accessible, accurate, and honest for everyone.
- Real reviews come from real visits. We don't aggregate ratings from other sites. Every park we review, we visit — multiple times, at different times of day. Every product we test, we test in real parks with real dogs.
- Honesty beats politeness. If a park has a problem — broken fences, aggressive regulars, no shade in 100-degree heat — we'll tell you. We'd rather lose a park's goodwill than lose your trust.
- Transparency is non-negotiable. Our scoring methodology is public. Our testing conditions are documented. Our affiliate relationships are disclosed. You should never have to wonder if money influenced a recommendation.
- Community makes parks better. The best dog parks are the ones where owners know each other, watch out for each other's dogs, and pick up after themselves. We're building that community, one review at a time.
What We Stand Against
- Fake reviews. We never publish reviews from people who haven't visited a park or used a product. No AI-generated content. No paid testimonials.
- Sponsored recommendations. No brand pays for placement on our site. If we recommend something, it's because it earned its score through testing — not through a check.
- Fear-based dog training. We don't recommend prong collars, shock collars, or any tool designed to cause pain or fear. Science is clear on this.
Our Promises to You
- We will always disclose how we make money. Affiliate commissions, advertising — it's all on this page. No hidden deals, no secret sponsorships.
- We will update our reviews. Parks change. Products get discontinued. We revisit our recommendations regularly and mark outdated content clearly.
- We will listen to you. If a review is wrong or outdated, tell us. Reader feedback is how we catch what we miss.
How We Make Money
USA Dog Parks earns revenue through two channels:
1. Affiliate commissions. When you click a product link on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. We participate in the Amazon Associates program and the DHgate affiliate program.
2. Display advertising. We run ads through Google AdSense and, when our traffic qualifies, Mediavine. These ads are clearly marked.
Here's the thing: we've turned down thousands of dollars in commissions by being honest about what not to buy. If a product isn't good enough, we say so — and we don't link to it. Our recommendations are based on testing, not on which brand pays the highest commission rate.
If you ever have questions about our business model, email us. We're an open book.
— Crystal Yifei Liu, Editor-in-Chief
USA Dog Parks, Since 2006