I treasure the Lubbock Lake Landmark (2401 Landmark Drive). I grew up in Lubbock and took summer classes out there. As an adult, I absolutely love the night hikes. Also, they dig up bone-crushing dog fossils out there. How cool is that?

While Lubbock Lake Landmark may seem like a park, with its gorgeous trails and fun things to do, it's not actually a park; it's a nature preserve. And with nature, comes hazards to domesticated animals, like your dog.

Please don't be tempted to bring out your dog to Lubbock Lake Landmark. Even though the staff there loves dogs, they don't love being bitten by them. And they really don't want your dog to be injured by wildlife or the ominous sounding, but very pretty horse crippler cactus.

Additionally, even really well behaved dogs can have the instinct to hunt and could hurt the wildlife that live on the preserve.

Here's their policy, and their reasoning behind it:

On Thursday evening, one of our staff members was bitten by a dog that was here after hours with a “visitor”. Our colleague will be fine, but we would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that our trails are only open to the public when the Landmark is open and that dogs (except for service dogs) are not allowed on the Landmark’s nature preserve.

There are several reasons for this policy. The first, and most important, is for the safety of your pet. Because the Landmark is a nature preserve and not a park, there are numerous plants, mammals, reptiles and insects that make their home on the preserve. These species are unfamiliar to most domestic dogs and could cause them harm. The unfamiliar sights, sounds and scents of this natural environment may also over-stimulate your animal and make them behave in unexpected ways.

The presence of dogs also can upset the habits of the wildlife by altering the native environment, even if the dogs do not come into direct contact with our wildlife. Finally, some people on the trails with you may not be comfortable with dogs or may even be afraid of them.

For the convenience of our many visitors who are travelling with their pets, we do allow domestic animals to visit only the grassy area near the picnic tables by our parking lot, for short stops. We diligently work to make the Landmark accessible and pleasant for all. We are very pleased that you enjoy it, and appreciate your cooperation. Thank you.

And here's that bite. Yeowch:

via Lubbock Lake Landmark

I highly encourage you to visit and enjoy Lubbock Lake Landmark. Just leave your best friend at home, for their sake.