Dozens of dogs were on hand to help me celebrate the opening of the brand new Leash Free Dog Park right here in Ward 10. Located at the very south end of Mattamy Sports Park, the amenity features two separately fenced areas – one for smaller dogs (Freddie’s fairway) and one for larger dogs (Whiskey’s walk) – with lots of space for running, playing and socializing for our furry friends. More than 60 dogs and their owners attended the special opening ceremony and ribbon cutting on a bright and crisp fall day.
Residents are generally thrilled with the new amenity and its proximity within the community. A few have written in with suggestions around lighting and waste containers. While the pathway is lit, lighting of the leash free zones is not a City standard due to cost and technical challenges with meeting minimum illumination requirements. Waste containers are placed outside of the fenced area to facilitate waste pick up – trucks need paved access and this way the facility does not need to be temporarily closed during waste pick up. We also want to encourage use of the Sutera dog waste container outside of the fenced area which has significant environmental benefits over mixing with general waste like coffee cups and water bottles.
A couple of quick reminders to dog owners: with the opening of this new facility, please refrain from letting your dog run off leash in our community parks and trails (it is illegal). And, when using this dog park – like everywhere else – please pick up after your dogs. Leaving this for other dog owners is inconsiderate (and illegal). This new park has a container specifically designed to accept dog waste.