One year after petition, no change at dog park

In June 2023, users of the dog park launched a petition to ask council for a number of needed improvements to the area, including expanding the size, adding lights for owners who use the space after dark and adding more enrichment for the dogs.

Users noted that with the popularity of the park at certain times, the cramped space was making some dogs feel cramped and caged - not helped by the lack of toys or agility obstacles.

The petition gathered just over 200 signatures, and while it was taken to council in August 2023, there has since been no change to the dog park.

Hailey Jackson visits the dog park regularly, and said the state of it was disappointing, but not surprising.

"It's definitely not as big as it should be, should be at least double this size - big enough that you can't hit the other end with a ball thrower," she said.

"A bigger space would create more opportunities for people to come and adding lights here would give the community more time to use this space."

Miss Jackson previously added a crate for visitors to store balls, toys and other objects when not at the park to ensure they don't get damaged - but the box was removed by council staff citing hygiene reasons.

She added that even a 'no' from council would allow the users to plead their case, rather than being left in limbo.

"I first reached out in September 2021 ... I think definitiveness is better because we could push back and make our case rather than just be kept at this 'maybe one day' stage," she said.

She admitted that she understood why larger asks would be a low priority for councillors, but added that a disabled parking space was also on the list and thought that would be a very manageable task.

"It's a priority for me because I spend hours every week here, but realistically as a citywide problem, I guess it would be pretty low for them ... but how much is it for some concrete and four hours of some council staff's time," she said.