I, along with many others, would like to see a couple of times a week (for perhaps a couple of hours) set aside in ONE side of the dog park for small dogs. All it would require would be a notice from Council on the gate. Sadly, there are a lot of small dog owners (and ratepayers) who have had bad experiences involving larger dogs and it means they no longer go to the park. We all know there has been at least one small dog killed and several other attacks. Doing this would mean our senior community (who have paid rates longer than any of us) could safely enjoy a social outing with their little fur friends without the risk of being knocked by a large dog. I know several who have had hip/knee replacements, and one who’s had spinal surgery. A large dog at play can cause significant injury – both to people and small dogs. We have these types of arrangements for area’s of our playgrounds, and for our swimming pool etc, where different ages/sizes are excluded – so why not the dog park? After all, most cities have entirely separate areas. We just ask for a couple of hours, and with there being 2 area’s – no one misses out. I have yet to hear just ONE reason why this can’t happen.
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The dog park is already split in two sections. Would it be so unreasonable if the smaller section was reserved for small dogs? The original poster is only asking for short periods, but I actually assumed that the whole point of having the fence in the middle was for permanent separation like other cities have.
The dog park is indeed there for everyone to enjoy, and the current situation means that not everyone can, because many people are intimidated. Segregation would allow more people access, not fewer. In response to the commenters above who say there are other public spaces for small dog owners to go, I disagree. There are very few places where you can let your dog run off the lead. Even in places where dogs are supposed to be restrained, there are often dogs running loose and uncontrolled that can be intimidating, and attacks are frequent.
If the smaller piece was reserved for small dogs, there is still the big section, and every other dog friendly place for the big, confident, boisterous dogs to enjoy.
Actually, I feel the dog park needs more shelters for people.
As I see it the informal small dog park meet up is working, so why the need to make it official?? I’ve given all those I know with small dogs the info for the meet up, most people on FB know there is a Dog park page so can find the info for themselves if you simply put a post up on the page for the next Sundays meet, so I can only think that the reason for signs is the exclusion of other dogs that the small dog group feel unacceptable and can order out. When Shelley Harrison initially proposed the meet up she also included large dogs that were shy or placid. Do these dogs get excluded now or is it up to the group to pick and chose? There are many dogs I’m sure their owners feel would like to be in special groups but it’s simply not feasible to cater to all and sundry. I’d really like to see the numbers of small dog people who are really in favour of this because it seems to me that the wants of a few are really making this an issue.
And if those small dog owners really want to submit a plan for a park of their own just remember, Parks already gives very limited maintainance to the one we have. Stretch the budget any more and we will ALL lose. It took years to get light we have (thanks to Jackie and her hard work!), it’s taken years to even get them around to the idea of an agility course but which I see we are getting closer to, it takes multiple emails to even get sand and gravel in winter! Simply put we are lucky to have what we have, lets appreciate it more and all dog park users. No exclusions.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head Pam… you have just mentioned how pleased you are an agility course appears to be going ahead… for a small group who may use it. Most dog parks have entirely separate area’s for various sized dogs at ALL times. The small informal group does appear to be working well for the moment, but hasn’t always been the case – and, many people no longer come to the dog park AT ALL because of past experiences – be it at the small group or otherwise. Why should our senior community (who incidently have likely paid rates for longer than any of us) not be allowed a couple of hours a week where they can safely bring their little companions without the risk or fear of being knocked over? I’m still yet to hear any logical reason why…. My small dog is happy to play with some larger dogs – that’s a choice thing. We have exclusions AT ALL TIMES from public swimming pools and childrens playgrounds… what’s the problem with a couple of hours.
There are plenty of hours during the day/week that older people can take their dogs and you already posted that your small dog meet up is working and there is a FB page to post for meet ups, so why the need for control of one side of the park for the very few people who will use it at the exclusion of everyone else who doesn’t meet your groups criteria? I think the difference between public pools and the dog park is people still pay for the hire of the pool for their group sessions. I doubt the council would be willing to see that happen with the dog park as it would lead to too many complications that may have unforeseen consequences.
This seems like such a small and obvious thing! There is only one dog park in Invers so it needs to be accessible and safe for all dogs and their owners. Boisterous dogs need to bound around and play freely but that may not mix well with little or timid dogs. A bit of separation would ensure nobody misses out. Easy.
I would have to agree wholeheartedly, we do need a separate area for small dogs at the dog park. The day that Marie, from South Alive arrived at the dog park, she too was knocked to the ground by a couple of “playing” large dogs, and had the audacity to tell us that if we found the larger dogs intimidating we should stay at home!!! Personally I cannot afford to have a boisterous dog jump up at me, so not only do I need to protect my small dog, I need to protect myself. If one strip was fenced off for the smaller 4 legged visitors then everyone would have peace of mind to enjoy the dog park.
The dog park was designed for all members of the public to use at any time or day. Allowing for a set time and day for a particular group of users only invites exclusion. There have been a few dramas when small dog owners believe they have the right to tell other users to go to the other side of the park because they don’t like the size of the dog that has entered. The dog park is a public space for anyone to enjoy at any time of the day. What’s next? Excluding users based on their beliefs or culture surely not in 2017. There is a lot of public spaces available in the city for any dog owner to enjoy.
I have a very placid Labrador. She is classed as a large dog, but does not appreciate playing with boisterous large dogs or yappy little dogs. We have never been to the dog park as I understand it is very clicky and you really need to be invited to feel welcome. Can we have a time set aside for large placid dogs please? My point is you can never please everybody
What a shame Robyn, really hard pushed to find a happy medium if your dog doesn’t like boisterous large dogs or small yappy dogs… we’ve had several placid/timid larger dogs enjoying time with the wee ones… but we do have the odd yappy little dog….
I understand the sentiments expressed here, but to have a particular group of dogs excluded from a public space for a set time and day should not be even considered. I’m in favour of having another fenced area within the park for smaller dogs but then again if small dog owners feel vulnerable then there are other public spaces that they may choose to go to instead. My point is that it’s a public space for everyone to enjoy at whatever time ae day that they choose.
I would have to agree with the above in that we do indeed need a separate area for small dogs to play together without the threat of being injured by larger dogs. We did have Marie from South Alive call in one Sunday to investigate the situation only to tell us that if we felt uncomfortable with the larger dogs in the same area then we should stay at home.She then went into the other area with the larger dogs and was immediately jumped on by two of them and pushed to the ground in the mud, and she has the audacity to say she does not see a problem What we do need is a small area where we all feel comfortable taking our small 4 legged friends, there have been several incidents already where small dogs have sustained serious injuries. Surely it is not a big ask to have a 1/4 of one of the exercise areas fenced specifically for vulnerable dogs and their sometimes vulnerable owners.