Lori was there with her strikingly beautiful 4-year-old dog, Klondike, who is part Husky and part Belgian Malinois
By Kathryn Stocks
On November 3, Councillor Jennifer McKelvie celebrated the expansion of Colonel Danforth Park’s Dogs Off-Leash Area with a dog party. And, as one ought to do at a dog party, she handed out treats to the dozen or so dogs who came to the opening with their owners.
Improvements to the park include an expanded area with grass, wood chips, some large rocks and more benches. The much-maligned gravel area will stay as it is, though, since the cost to remove the gravel is prohibitive.
Lori was there with her strikingly beautiful 4-year-old dog, Klondike, who is part Husky and part Belgian Malinois. “I’m so pleased the new section is grass,” she said. “The gravel is awful and so hard to walk on as a pet owner.”
She really likes the extra benches in the new part as well as the large rocks for the dogs to jump up on. “I love it,” she said. “I’m glad it’s bigger.”
Lori said she and Klondike are at the park once a month but will come more often now with the improvements. She was also happy to hear that more off-leash dog areas are being planned, including one in Bob Hunter Memorial Park.
Robin and Steve were at the opening with Fred, their two-year-old rescue who loves to run and be chased. “We used to come to this park all the time,” Robin said. Their former dog didn’t have a problem with the pea gravel but Fred doesn’t appreciate it because he likes to run.
Robin talked about how the social aspect is such an important part of a dog park. It gives the dogs a chance to run and play with other dogs while the owners have a chance to socialize with each other. She’s hoping to see more people here more often now that the new space is open.
“I like the grass,” Peter Schensema said, who was there with Molly in her little pink coat. He thinks that in the gravel area that remains, the city needs to get rid of the black landscape fabric that’s rising up and could be a tripping hazard.
At the end of the day, it was obvious that the new portion in Colonel Danforth Park’s Dogs Off-Leash Area was well received by those who were there for the opening.