dog park 4 Edinburgh

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

dog park 4 Edinburgh

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

Really worth a try and giving the example of Bellahoustoun Park in Glasgow and how well that works and I am sure that doesn't smell.

I had contacted EDC a while back about this and hit a brick wall. But as you say Marie if as many people as possible support this, we may have some like and if we don't try we don't get.

max · Enlightened One

What a very lame excuse, and to say that dogs are allowed of lead to run about as long as their business is picked up immediately do they think that having a fenced of area means you DO NOT have to pick up after your dog. How stupid!!!!

The idea works in America and is great if you have a dog with little or no recall.

Nora

Isla · Enlightened One

I'd support it and I don't even live there! Graeme does, however, have a family member through there and, if we were through visiting, it would be nice to know somewhere we could let the dogs have a lollop!

That's some response! Love the bit about dogs "being allowed off as long as any mess is picked up although they could see how this would be a problem if your dog is a good runner". The excuse for not having one because of the smell is a bit crap (pardon the pun)!

JENNY · Big Cheese

That's a bizarre response. How could a dog park possibly smell? It is grass, nature, the outdoors! Weirdos over there in Edinburgh

Bellahouston does not have an odour that I could detect, it smelt the same as the rest of the park.

-- Edited by JENNY at 08:11, 2007-02-23

Valerie · Guru

Standard response to avoid saying we don't want to spend money on it. Seems it would be little money well spent, and dog owners pay their Council Tax like everyone else. It would be good if dog groups rallied together on this, and as Siouxsie says Bellahouston must be a good example for their rivals over in the east!

Jax · Master

Bellahouston is great, and there are doggy poo bins within the enclosed area. Like Jenny I've never smelled anything different in the fenced in area than the rest of the park. That's just a silly excuse!

niccimac · Old Hand

The place I walk my dogs is run by forestry commision for a private landownerand open to dog walkers and horses. Its very large, but very heavily used by all types of dogs. There are no poo bins, and no one needs to poo-scoop. This means that the ground is quite littered with dog (and some horse) waste, though it is rare that dogs foul the actual path. But there is no odour whatsoever, even in hot weather. It sounds yuckky but in fact the area is lovely to walk in, and its easy to keep a pair of boots specifically for use there. The benefits of an area like this is that dogs and playing children are kept well apart. I fail to see how poop-scooping can fully clean up dog waste in parks, unless all other dogs are much more 'solid' than mine. Perhaps it woul;d be helpful to point out to the council that the best way to protect children, picnickers etc from faecally-transmitted disease is to have seperate areas for dogs and non-doggy park users, and it also ensures that those who are not used to, or scared of dogs can avoid them, while doggy people can relax and just enjoy the walk. I support your moves to get a dog park(s) in edinburgh.
Fiona

evilshiddenclaws · Old Hand

i think its a great idea, im lucky enough to live on the outskirts so i have plenty woodland walks but people in town obviously arent as fortunate.

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

I would urge everyone in the Edinburgh area to write to their local councillor asking for a dog park. I understand that a few years ago the SSPCA, L&B Police and other animal orgs were involved in the Proud Paws Project which suggested parks were split into three zones - red (no dogs), amber (dogs on lead) and green (enclosed dog areas).
The idea fell at the last hurdle because Edinburgh City Council refused to have dog poo bins in the parks, apparently they will not allow them because the city is a World Heritage Site.
This seems v. short-sighted, I'm sure bins which are discreet could be designed.
Marie

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

It would help if folk outwith Edinburgh wrote as well please please

the more the better.

The council still have to empty the normal bins round the parks which anytime I see them they have poo bags, they just seem to use one stupid excuse after another.

MojoTilly · Master

Is there an email or postal address to contact them about this?

Jade · Graduate

Although I can see the benefit of enclosed areas for free off-lead exercise for dogs with poor recall (at least you can be fairly sure they couldn't run onto roads or other hazards) I would be extremely worried if this was the only choice of off-lead exercise area for dogs in public parks (Proud Paws thing mentioned earlier). I think concentrating all dog walkers into one small area could be problematic particularly if many of the dogs are being walked off lead without a decent recall. One of my dogs finds meeting other dogs a fairly stressful experience at times and I rely partly on having enough space and choice of route to avoid getting her into a difficult situation and partly on other dog owners teaching their dogs to come back when called. If your dog has poor recall it can still cause problems for other park users even if is safe from the danger of traffic.

One of the things I enjoy about our walks in the town parks is meeting a diverse range of people and it would be a shame to compartmentalise the different groups. Obviously you have to be sensitive to the different user groups and keep your dog under close control when necessary.

Of course having at least one dog park would allow owners to work on recall in a safer environment but I would be very wary of asking the council for designated dogs areas rather than the mostly unrestricted access we enjoy now.

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

Jade wrote:

Although I can see the benefit of enclosed areas for free off-lead exercise for dogs with poor recall (at least you can be fairly sure they couldn't run onto roads or other hazards) I would be extremely worried if this was the only choice of off-lead exercise area for dogs in public parks (Proud Paws thing mentioned earlier). I think concentrating all dog walkers into one small area could be problematic particularly if many of the dogs are being walked off lead without a decent recall. One of my dogs finds meeting other dogs a fairly stressful experience at times and I rely partly on having enough space and choice of route to avoid getting her into a difficult situation and partly on other dog owners teaching their dogs to come back when called. If your dog has poor recall it can still cause problems for other park users even if is safe from the danger of traffic.

One of the things I enjoy about our walks in the town parks is meeting a diverse range of people and it would be a shame to compartmentalise the different groups. Obviously you have to be sensitive to the different user groups and keep your dog under close control when necessary.

Of course having at least one dog park would allow owners to work on recall in a safer environment but I would be very wary of asking the council for designated dogs areas rather than the mostly unrestricted access we enjoy now.

That is a good point Jade, I believe the Proud Paws Project was initially launched because Edinburgh City Council wanted to ban dogs from all city parks and we would not want them to put that suggestion back on the table.
Red zones are already established in most parks as designated children's play areas where you would never dream of allowing your dog to run around.
Surely one or two designated areas for dogs would not be unacceptable, especially since it has proved successful in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow?

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

What I was meaning (and would like) is an area like Bellahoustoun that has an enclosed area to let your dog off lead, but certainly not expecting them to stop allowing dogs off lead in other areas.

An area like this would also be beneficial for people wanting to train their dogs (especially to recall), that maybe don't have a garden or wanting to expand from their own garden to a larger enclosed area.

-- Edited by Siouxsie at 19:40, 2007-03-06

Isla · Enlightened One

Yes, areas like this would be good for improving recall but I also understand how difficult it can be when there are dogs charging about if you have a dog that gets stressed meeting other dogs. It would have to rely on owners being responsible enough, knowing their own pets, to police it and ensure that their dogs weren't being a menace.

I, for one, wouldn't dream of letting Tigger off to practice her recall if there were lots of other dogs about as it is hard enough to get her to concentrate on me without lots of distractions. Something like that would be a godsend though as I am reluctant to use empty fields due to barb wire (hate the stuff).

At least the fence would be dog proof and dog friendly.

I'm quite sure there are lots of other people out there who would be responsible about the use of such areas. Sadly, I daresay there are a minority who would spoil it for all.

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

Can anyone explain to me how the situation works in the enclosed area in Bellahoustoun?. Is it just a load of dogs off lead in one area? How large is the area?

JENNY · Big Cheese

The dog park is about the size of a football pitch I reckon. Don't quote me as I hate football.

Any time I have been there it is either empty or there is one other dog in it. I ask the owner if their dog is ok with others and then take Vernon in (Ziggy would never go through the gate). It is big enough for 2 dogs to ignore each other in. They usually try to chase Vernon which is amusing as they can't keep up.

-- Edited by JENNY at 07:42, 2007-03-07

-- Edited by JENNY at 07:44, 2007-03-07

tootsmazza · Enlightened One

MojoTilly wrote:

Is there an email or postal address to contact them about this?

City of Edinburgh Council website address is , on the site you can find emails for councillors for each city ward by putting in your postcode.
I think Jenny's description of Bellahouston highlights one important area for people concerned about lots of dogs being in a confined space together. These parks are not going to be busy all the time. There are peak times and quieter times and people quickly learn when the best time for their dog is.
On the subject of irresponsible owners, I think a dog park is probably the last place they will go because they will come under scrutiny from those responsible ones.
Certainly in the US and Canada dog parks have rules drawn up and printed on signs at the entrance outlining acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
I would hope there would be enough responsible owners to ensure they are followed and it does appear to work in Glasgow.
Remember this is not an alternative to dogs being allowed off lead elsewhere in parks, merely an additional help for those who need boundaries.

Jax · Master

We've been to Bellahouston dog park quite a few times and only once encountered another dog in it (which was on the lead!?). As far as I can see most folks still prefer to walk their dogs round the park, whether on or off the lead, but the enclosed area is great for us because of recall issues (Sally has a very high chase instinct and Dan just ignores us!). I suppose it's about choice really, having enclosed exercise areas gives the more unruley dogs a chance to run around and is good for training. There are dog poo bins throughout the park though, not just in that area.

Jennifer · Master

Nice to see Dan and Sally getting a good run around, its so nice to watch them run free

Lorna · Old Hand

I have used the park too with Harley (more when we lived closer than we do now) and it is usually empty just like the others have stated. But it is great for letting Harley run around - most other dog owners walk around the park.

It doesn't smell at all and is very clean from what I can remember. Somewhere like that in Edinburgh would be great I think - even in most parks it would be fantastic to have a "dog park" area.

I don't know of anywhere else in the Glasgow area that has this facility and I did a lot of searching when I first got Harley.

The fact the Bellahouston one is so quiet might be used as an argument to say it isn't needed though - but the greyhound owners among us would disagree - it's great

Lorna · Old Hand

ps

If anyone that uses the Bellahouston Park wants to meet up for a wee get together with their dogs to let them socialise a bit just drop me a PM and we can perhaps sort something out one day.

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