Ten thousand tails are wagging in Geelong’s north following the reopening Corio’s newly-upgraded dog park.
Councillor canine companions Bella, Frankie and Truffle toured the facility at Stead Park on Tuesday, which reopened late last month after eight weeks of construction and the ending of Victoria’s most recent COVID-19 lockdown.
Truffle’s human representative on council, Anthony Aitken, welcomed the improvements that have 3000 dogs registered in Corio and Norlane and 10,000 total in the northern suburbs eagerly tugging on leashes to visit.
“We know there are many dog-lovers in the northern suburbs,” the Windermere ward councillor said.
“We hope residents and their furry friends enjoy the improvements as much as we did building them.”
The facility at Stead Park opened in late 2013 and was council’s first fenced dog park in greater Geelong.
The park now features an extra 2100 square metres for pooches to go barking mad with excitement, along with new equipment including hurdles and platforms.
Separate fenced areas for passive and active dogs, a water fountain, and new fencing and gates also feature in the upgrades.
“We have learnt a lot about off-leash fenced dog parks since building this park, including creating two separate areas for high-intensity and low-intensity dogs,” Cr Aitken said.
“This has been incorporated into the improvements of this dog park. One improvement local users asked for was a double-gate entry and exit, which the team has been able to deliver.”
The newly-renovated facility joins the Belmont fenced dog park, which opened in June.
Council reminded pet-owners visiting the dog parks to adhere to current COVID-19 restrictions on gathering and face masks, and clean up after their dogs using the bins on site.
Luke Voogt
