New Year-Round Dog Park Opens in Regina

Dog owners and their four-legged friends in Regina have a new dedicated space to enjoy the city.

A year-round off-leash dog park officially opened on Monday next to Regent Pool in the Coronation Park area.

« We could definitely use more dog parks, » Elisabeth Hass said.

« Sometimes they can get really crowded, and just have the option of going to a different place with a different footing, especially in the spring. Some of them can get really muddy. »

Regina’s dog owner is excited to visit the new park with her two pets this week, she said.

As construction on the new park wrapped on July 18, staff found « deficiencies » during inspection, the city said in an email.

During another inspection on September 15, the park was deemed ready to open to residents and their pets.

A space dedicated to small breeds

The new Regent’s Park Off-Leash Dog Park is the fifth of its kind in the city. The others are Cathy Lauritsen Memorial Off-Leash Dog Park, Ross Industrial Off-Leash Dog Park, Mount Pleasant Sports Park and Horizon Station Off-Leash Dog Park, according to the city’s website.

Additionally, some of Regina’s outdoor board rinks turn into seasonal off-leash areas each year between May 1 and September 30.

The new year-round dog park also includes a separate area for small dogs in addition to the open space for all types.

« It’s great to have separate areas, » Hass said. « Some small dogs can be nervous around big dogs. »

Like Hass, Connie Buchan is very happy to see an additional park open in the city.

Regina’s wife, who owns two dogs, is the leader and founder of the city’s Off-Leash Dog Park User Group (OLDPUG).

« Not every park will be perfect for every human or every dog, » she said.

« You can choose which ones are right for your dog…and you can meet other people. It’s great exercise for you and your dog because you have to walk with your dog all the time. »

Neighborhood dog parks

The new dog park next to Regent Pool will be the second neighborhood dog park in Regina.

The other is a small off-leash area in the Towns neighborhood that opened in August. It was part of the Horizon Station park development on Regina’s east side, according to the city.

« The difference with the park at the neighborhood level is that it’s smaller than the municipal levels, which are the traditional levels that we have, » Buchan said. « They’re less than a hectare, and they only have a four-foot high fence, so that’s quite concerning. »

Buchan says she worries that bigger dogs might jump the fence, for example, if they’re chasing a rabbit.

While the fence is 1.2 meters high in most of the new dog park, it is 1.8 meters along the storm channel and between the small breed area and the main area to prevent larger breeds animals to jump to the other side, according to the city and to Buchan.

Overall, Regent’s Park Off Leash Dog Park is 0.4 hectares in size, including both the small dog area and space for all breeds, the city said in an email.

“That place where the new one is…it was a major lobbying situation at City Hall that allowed that to happen,” Buchan said.

« The town’s original plan was not to put a dog park there. »

The city has already determined AE Wilson Park as the next location for a dog park, but no opening date has yet been set, the city announced Monday.