It’s a solid Saturday not far from Melbourne’s Yarra River as some people arrive with their mugs at the Thomas Oval dog park, trying to escape the heat.
David Davis and his husband, Jen Tan, are here with their two dogs – Mika (a six-year-old rotund) and Comus (a five-year-old cavoodle) who sniff and dart around this South Yarra location. The dogs have forsaken me, and their shaggy heads are pressed between my legs to chat with their owners.
“I’ve been coming here about three times in a week recently because I’ve had a knee injury and can’t take long walks — but all the smells here are probably more than a long walk anyway,” Davis says.
The couple lives nearby, in a house with a small backyard. So dogs mostly come here to have some green space to play. “Dogs just love all the smells and the interaction with other dogs – it’s such a wonderful feeling – more dogs can be on leash here and well kept,” he said.
But this dog park, like many others popping up around Australia, is much more than just a grass fence. He sits at the top, in the grove of trees. It boasts a separate gated “quiet zone”, sensory areas including rocks for climbing, a sandpit for digging and tanbark.
The science of park dogs has changed. While they can now be found in all cities and small towns around Australia, modern dog parks are designed in a highly technical way with a focus on dog socialization, behavior and management, according to Leanne Dowey, senior partner at the Hansen Group who designed it. the park
“For the Thomas Oval dog park, a clear direction from council in the early stages of the project was that they wanted the dog park to incorporate predominantly native/indigenous plant species, permeable surfaces and nature canine elements (rather than agility equipment),” Dowey said.
“Both the active and quiet zones include dog sand. The active play zone includes circles, natural materials, shelters, piled grass and [a] The great red gum feature story of injuries. “
There are now about 15,000 dog parks in Australia, according to Dogshare, an online platform set up to match dog owners with dog lovers in the community.
But that number is set to grow. In VictoriaThe Allan government has recently released estimates that show dogs make up just 41% of all care, and is giving grants of up to $300,000 to local councils to build and upgrade existing dog parks.
Louisa Larkin, founder of the CoPP (City of Port Phillip) Dogs Network, often says that travel with her dog around Australiato the hounds, stopping to walk.
Others are much better. Among Larkin’s favorites is Sydney Park in Sydney’s inner suburbs, which is mostly off-leash and has a small pool for dogs and a large playground. There’s also another one in New South Wales: Albury’s Logan Road dog park features a clamshell paddling pool for dogs that can only be filled with hosts.
It’s not all fun and games
The founder of Dogshare, Jessica Janson, says that the best dog parks now include features such as separate zones for quiet or smaller breeds, access to water and shade, waste disposal – including bags and receptacles – and clear signs that owners are responsible for the installation. the behavior of dogs in their gardens.
It places great importance on the owners that they respect the rights of other men and dogs.
“To these places to keep everyone safe and happy environment” [dog owners] “They need to do their research and know which parks are dog-friendly and on or off-lead,” Janson says.
“It’s so important to be a responsible dog owner – many dogs suffer from anxiety or reactivity and even young families or people who don’t feel comfortable around dogs have the right to stop enjoying these spaces.”
Lesley Humphreys, director of Paws4Play and LHM Consulting, who has worked for 15 years with councils in the state around dog parks, says the issues have been there.
Post Newsletter promotion
His research shows that fenced dog parks, rather than protected areas, generally attract poorly behaved and unruly dogs, and owners who do not actively interact with their dogs or proactively intervene when they should. They also drag dogs in the backyard and have a lot of energy to let go.
“As ironic as it sounds, these dogs have to be exercised before they go into the dog park,” he said.
“Dogs are a real drawcard – and who doesn’t love to see dogs bundled up together?
“The problem is not all dogs are wired for the dog park.”
Humphreys says most owners are generally not good at reading their dog’s body language.
“Many owners do not know how to control their dog and apply the rules of dog parks and believe in the adage ‘dogs let themselves.'” This can have traumatic implications for dogs, owners and other people alike.
He says a good dog park has several sensitive elements such as keystones, rock beds, digging holes and sensitive vegetation to distract attention from dog-on-dog activity.
‘Our dogs are our relatives’
For Jennifer Bishop, who walks her four-year-old golden retriever, Daisy, in parks and beaches around Port Phillip every day, and has used dog-friendly spaces for 30 years, vital aspects of a dog park are having shady areas. , drinking bowls and drinking fountains, open signs and doggie poo purses.
She says she has met many of her friends over the years through the dogs of the park.
“They think of their dogs as family, and their friends as a community around them,” she said.
“For those of us who do not want or do not have human children, or who are older than our elders, are our relatives dogs. Our dog community is our coffee buddies, walking buddies, people we can help and those who help others.”
What’s more, Bishop is a strong advocate of well-trained dogs in parks and providing dog areas large, medium and small – otherwise the dog park can feel like the wild west.
“Dogs running at other dogs barking at them or jumping on them is not “normal dog behavior” … it’s like if you approach a human part and strangers run up to you, hugging you, hitting you on the arm, without your permission.
“It’s not good behavior.”