Do NOT waste your money on this flophouse

The woman at the front desk when I checked in was very nice, and the member of housekeeping staff I met in the hallway the next morning was friendly (dogs bring out the best in most people :). Those are the ONLY two good things I can say. Unfortunately, everything else about this place convinced me I'll never stay there again AND am done with the Comfort brand, period. I've stayed in Motel 6 rooms that were clean and comfortable enough to make this place look like a crackhouse. For another $40-$50, I could have driven a little further and stayed at the Kimpton in Cleveland. Either would have been a better choice. Do NOT give this place your money.

- NO LOCK (first room). Had to request a different room because the first one had the security lock ripped right off its hinge (reassuring start to the visit).
- NO DOOR HANGER. No way to let housekeeping know NOT to enter room when I had to run downstairs (without pup) next morning.
- DECO BY TRASHY JACKSON POLLOCK. Some kind of orange crap sprayed all over the wall across from sofa, like a soda can exploded, or someone's drink splashed. Just dried droplets all over that have never been cleaned.
- DOG AREA. Full of litter, cigarette butts, etc. The hotel itself is in what looks like a mostly abandoned shopping plaza with a few bars nearby. Not scary, but just tired/depressing.
- "FREE" BREAKFAST STILL MANAGED TO BE OVERPRICED. Every amenity any hotel offers is a cost of doing business. It gets rolled into the room rate; nothing is "free." Fair enough. I don't expect omelet stations from a Comfort Suites, but gas stations do better than this.
- NO LAUNDRY BAG (even though hotel advertises laundry facilities). I've seen hangers and bags in the CHEAPEST fleabags. For $125/night, Comfort can cough one up so you don't need to salvage a trash can liner to keep damp/dirty items from stinking up baggage.
- NO PHONE. I was sick most of the night and tried to call down to get a late checkout, so I could sleep another hour. The jack was plugged in on both ends, and it had power. It just didn't work. Started to call hotel from my cell, but not worth the effort - so disgusted by then, we just left.
- NO CHECKOUT. Didn't need a hug goodbye, or anything, but the empty desk and "drop keys here" bucket really completes the DGAF experience.
- NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO PROBLEM? This one isn't the hotel's fault, but it just added to the creepy, Twilight Zone vibe: when I went down to request a room with a lock (!), another woman came out of her room and took the elevator down with us - in her nightshirt, a cardigan, and slippers. Not for some frantic, no-time-for-pants emergency, either - just to wander over to vending machines. Cool, cool. You know this isn't your house, right?

Oct. 25, 2021

More than meets the eye (from the road)!

TL:DR - bring water, bug spray, and good shoes (i.e., dress for the woods) to get the most from this place. Less "developed" than other dog parks, but still a gem!

*** TO LAURA WHO HAD THE SCARY EXPERIENCE: First off, I'm really sorry you had the scare with the other dog(s) attacking yours. That's terrifying and there's no excuse for owners who don't watch and take responsibility for their dogs. So glad you AND your beagle are safe! My baby's on the small side for her breed (she's either the biggest dog on the small side or the littlest one on the big side), so trust me - I understand the fear (!!) and I watch her like a hawk! But I've been in a lot of dog parks, and "low income" is not a good term for problematic owners. Being an irresponsible jacka**, sadly, HAS no income limit - high OR low. I'm not sure if you were using "low-income" as a euphemism for something else, or meant exactly that, but please rethink it - not for politics' sake (even though America hates and blames poor people enough as it is), but for your own safety and your dog's. The notion that it's safer or that you can be less vigilant if it's a "nice" dog park is dangerously wrong, as many emergency vets can attest to.

PSA ENDED, ON TO THE REVIEW :)
This was our 2nd stop on a lazy Sunday safari of area dog parks, and it makes a STRONG case for rural North Central Ohio - basically, the countryside and small towns between Delaware/Marion and Cleveland - being one of our state's better-kept secrets. It's not as dramatic as Hocking Hills and doesn't have Lake Erie's summer-vacation vibe, but once you get off I-71 and hit those curvy, hilly, two-lane roads, you're going to forget all the stuff it ISN'T. Especially if you travel with dogs, because Ohio's middle is anchored by some GREAT dog parks, and Wolf Run is one of them.

SPACE/FACILITIES - My Shepherd mix had a great time running around the HUGE big-dogs enclosure. Unfortunately, someone had removed the agility equipment from its little area - the ONLY reason I'm taking a bone off (that, and I really, really hate Portajohns). Probably wouldn't have missed it if we'd been in the woods, but my dog loves "playground equipment" - especially ramps and tunnels - and it was too muggy to try the woods today with no bug spray (even the pup wasn't having it). We'll go back when it's less mosquito/tick-intensive, though, because the wooded area is begging to be explored! I thought they'd forgotten to fence one side of the park, until someone told me it's part of the enclosure.

WATER - I didn't check out the small dog area, but within the large side, they had a covered shelter with seating (a bench and some plastic chairs) and what looked like a couple large rain barrels (?) with spigots at the bottom, collecting water for the dogs. The spigot I tried didn't work (no problem, since I always bring water), and I'm not sure how it works for cleanliness, since bugs could easily get in. But it's an interesting idea if you're not somewhere with water pipes or a well.

Oct. 03, 2021

NO MORE POND :( - but STILL 110% worth the 2-hr drive)

Most weekends, my Shepherd mix and I pack up and hit the road looking for new playgrounds. We're spoiled for dog park choice in our hometown, so many adventures end with "Not bad - if they ______, this place could be pretty nice!"

Today we tried out Carolyn Mugrage, and I was KNOCKED. OUT. We will DEFINITELY be back. Here's why:
- Nice big woods/trail area WITHIN OFF-LEASH AREA
- Plenty of bags/cans for poop (and didn't step in any)
- Dog wash-off station with human+dog drinking fountain nearby
- Plenty of chairs, benches and shade for the pet parents to lounge (and nice people to chat with, at least today :)
- Thoughtful landscaping - woods curve around and cut into the grassy space to make little groves, so unless it's crowded, easy to find your own space, if you want to. Plenty of shrubs, rocks, etc. to get on/under/behind!
- Plenty of sticks to chase!

ABOUT THE POND - it was a disappointing to find the dog pond GONE. Locals told me it's gone for good, too - drained because kids kept going in (GGRRRRRR) and/or because "some" dog owners complained about safety of their pets. Maybe there was a water quality issue they couldn't fix (seems to happen a lot with man-made ponds). But the "dry lakebed" (pebbly area strewn with boulders and formerly submerged tennis balls) provided a new kind of playspace - DRY SCUBA!! So, we chalked it as a win. But no dog swimming here, for the foreseeable future.

Oct. 03, 2021