Occasionally, sometimes, maybe it’s OK to venture out of Alexandria. There are a lot of great dog parks in our city, even some great spots right in Del Ray. But when it gets hot some dogs like to go swimming and I’m not sure if you can easily do that within the city of Alexandria.

In fact, you just might have to venture over to Arlington. Ick, sounds awful, I know. Let’s be more specific and call it “Shirlington” instead. That sounds much better.

Just north of The Village at Shirlington, in between Arlington Mill Drive and Four Mile Run Drive, is the long stretch of Shirlington Park. Within that park, shaded by trees and hidden behind a valley stream and some nondescript buildings, is about a 20-acre strip of land fenced off just for dogs.

There are entrances to the dog park at either end as well as along the fences throughout. When you enter, it at first just looks like a regular dog park, albeit a very large one. There is a paved trail running up the center, plenty of trees and what must have once been grass that is now worn down to just dirt on both sides.

Some dog owners love the park because of its size. Though fairly narrow it is very long and shady, which allows for your dog to pick and choose which pals they would like to play with, if any at all.

Banner’s owner, Alyssa Kropp, spends time over at Shirlington Dog Park and says she has even seen people clearly on their way home from work taking a detour through the dog park just to enjoy all the dog sights and sounds.

But the biggest draw of Shirlington Dog Park is the Four Mile Run stream along the southwest side. In certain spots along the fence there are gates and trails that lead you down a steep embankment right into the stream.

If you make your way to the water on a warm day you may find as many as 20 dogs of all sizes having their own version of fun.

When I recently visited I saw a short and stout pug spend about 10 minutes trying to trap a floating tennis ball on the bottom of the stream. Several dogs were chasing each other over the rocks and in and out of the stream. Others were actually swimming in the deeper areas of the water as they played fetch. And all the owners were almost as happy as their dogs, watching the fun and sometimes even wading in to enjoy the water themselves.

The only downside is quite evident as you make your way back up to dry land and see all the wet, dirty dogs heading back to their cars. More wet adventures are likely in store after a visit to the water at Shirlington Dog Park, only this time confined to a bathtub.