Gone to the dogs

The Hillsborough Park neighbourhood in Charlottetown has officially gone to the dogs.

The City of Charlottetown’s public works department worked with provincial Infrastructure Minister Paula Bigger to create 12,000 square feet of open green space for dogs to enjoy off-leash. The dog park, which is on land owned by the province, opened Tuesday. The park is located just off Acadian Drive in Hillsborough Park.

“I’ve had requests from people for a while now from people looking for a dog park,’’ said Coun. Terry Bernard, chairman of the public works committee. Jeremy MacFadyen, a downtown Charlottetown resident and owner of Gertie, a two-year– old golden doodle, said it’s great news. “The city definitely needs an off-leash area for the dogs. Dogs are a big part of people’s lives,’’ MacFadyen said. “We usually head to Upton (Road), but an off-leash area in the city limits is exactly what we need.’’

Bernard said this dog park will act as sort of an experiment for the city.

“Right now we’ve got temporary fencing to see how it goes. We’re going to use this as a model. We’ll see what kind of usage it gets, what kinds of numbers we get and we’ll use it as a model for other dog parks the city plans to open up in the future,’’ the councillor said. The parks and recreation department is looking for land for additional off-leash dog parks, but nothing specific has been nailed down as of yet. MacFadyen would like to see one in West Royalty, East Royalty, in the downtown area and maybe even at Victoria Park. “My wife and I and Gertie walk on the boardwalk almost every day but that’s not off leash. We’d love to have a designated area down there as well in other spots in town. I know many, many, many dog owners that would just love to have a proper spot to go walk their dogs,’’ MacFadyen said. Signage with rules for the dog park has been installed. Dog clean-up bags and waste bins will be provided at the dog park along with benches for park users to sit as their dogs enjoy their freedom.