- July 18, 2025
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Neighbors meet daily at the Greenbrook Adventure Dog Park.
Photo by Lesley DwyerDarrel Jacobs, Buddy, Jim Fogo and Bud Hagy are part of the crew that meets at 9 a.m. daily.
Photo by Lesley DwyerTony Quirke gets teased as he's leaving for being "a handsome Englishman."
Photo by Lesley DwyerMaddie is a 9-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever.
Photo by Lesley DwyerThe dogs play hard and get thirsty at the Greenbrook Adventure Dog Park.
Photo by Lesley DwyerThe dogs are off before Bill Musgrave can throw the ball.
Photo by Lesley DwyerTom Gwiazdowski gets Sadie and Maximilian Von Schnauzer to pose for a picture.
Photo by Lesley DwyerBruce Baldwin and Bill Musgrave say the Greenbrook Adventure Dog Park is the best around.
Photo by Lesley DwyerLucy is ready for a drink. She's a 12-year-old golden doodle.
Photo by Lesley DwyerDavid Jones and Max the Maltipoo visit the park every day.
Photo by Lesley DwyerMark Lee fills up the water bowls. The Greenbrook Adventure Dog Park provides needs such as water and an agility course.
Photo by Lesley DwyerEven though there are water bowls at their feet, the dogs wait for the hose.
Photo by Lesley DwyerThere’s an exclusive club at the Greenbrook Adventure Park. You need a fob, a four-legged pet and a human with a great sense of humor to join.
“We’re here every day,” Darrel Jacobs said. “We solve all the world’s problems.”
One of them being unfriendly and unruly dogs. Those are weeded out of the mix fairly quickly.
“We file for divorce,” Bill Musgrave said.
The day before Thanksgiving was a slow day at the dog park, but there were still about a dozen humans and one or two dogs accompanying each. The group gathers around 8 a.m. every day.
“The two things she lives for is going to get the paper in the morning and the dog park,” Jim Fogo said. “She’ll be in my grill all morning until I bring her down here.”
Fogo is referring to his 9-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever named Maddie, but it’s hard to tell who looks forward to the meetup more, the people or the dogs.
“You get to know all the people that come out here, and that’s part of the fun,” Bruce Baldwin said.
Only Greenbrook residents have access to the dog park, so it's a great way to meet neighbors. For the dogs, too, the fun is found in the pack. Regulars know to “watch your knees.”
“Once you get a pack of them, and they’re moving around quickly, they don’t necessarily stop,” Mark Lee said. “They’ve taken a few people down at times.”
As the resident orthopedist, Baldwin joked that the two greatest sources of injuries in the Lakewood Ranch area are dog parks and pickleball.
“Both of them are very good for business,” he said.