Support on Kincardine Council is gaining momentum for an off-leash dog park in the community, and that has a local group of dog owners pleased.
At last night’s council meeting, Jacqueline Faubert of the Kincardine Dog Owner’s Group, or KinDog handed a petition with 469 signatures to Mayor Larry Kraemer asking for an off-leash dog park to be established.
Faubert addressed council and explained the benefits of having a dog park in the community, using the new facility in Port Elgin, and several others across the US and Canada as examples.
She says the parks encourage dog owners to become more responsible pet owners and says Saugeen Shores saw a significant increase in dog licensing revenues after the Port Elgin park opened. She says Kincardine has licensing revenue shortfall now.
Faubert says a dog park is as valuable to the community as playgrounds and arenas are.
She says KinDog is excited about the prospect of making the Ward One landfill site into a dog park. She says they’d prefer to see it happen fairly soon, because “two years is seven year’s in a dogs life.”
Deputy Mayor Laura Haight, herself the owner of two dogs, says the park would be a positive development.
Mayor Larry Kraemer says the dog park is one of the highest possible uses for the landfill property.
He says no official decision has been made yet on using the former landfill site, but support on council is strong and he believes there’s a good chance it will go ahead.
He suggests the park could be phased-in as the former landfill area is gradually decomissioned and covered over with soil and the first phase could even open next year.
Faubert is pleased council recognizes the immediate need for the park.
She says there are lots of dog owners and dogs around, and that means a dog park would be a social networking opportunity for people, in addition to being a place for Rover and Spot to exercise.
Faubert says they are planning fundraising activities and wants to focus on fun events that get the community connected.
She says financial support from the municipality would be appreciated, but isn’t sure how that might be arranged yet.
Councillor Guy Anderson, Chair of the Recreation Committee says he isn’t sure right now what sort of funding the municipality might offer, but welcomes KinDog’s fundraising efforts. He says fencing will be the biggest expense in getting the dog park going.
Council decided to refer the matter to the Recreation Committee and Staff to discuss further.