Imagine a park in a beautiful coastal community, where you can let your dog off his leash to run and play with other dogs in a wide-open space, all the while sitting comfortably at a picnic table, chatting with other dog-lovers, watching the dogs play and not having to worry that yours will run off and get lost.
This is the vision that local resident Ian Anderson plans to bring to Eastern Passage.
A few months ago Anderson and his Portugese Water Dog, Sam, came across a park like this while visiting Stratford, P.E.I.
“I could sit at the picnic tables and meet other dog lovers while my dog played,” said Anderson. “I found peace and tranquility at the Stratford dog park. Although it’s a dog park, it brings a sense of community to the residents of the area. It’s a very unique community and I wanted to bring it to Eastern Passage.”
The main difference with the Eastern Passage dog park plan and other dog parks in the HRM is that it will be entirely fenced. It will also have numerous activities for dogs to participate in (such as tunnels and jumps) and access to fresh water. Even though it’s an off-leash park, owners must be in complete control of their dogs.
Anderson contacted Jackie Barkhouse, HRM Councillor for District 8, Woodside-Eastern Passage, with the idea.
“It was very interesting,” said Barkhouse, a dog lover herself. “I kept thinking how a happy and healthy dog [will] get plenty of exercise and [will get] to socialize here.”
Anderson and Barkhouse are now working on getting attention from interested residents of Eastern Passage to help support this dog park mission. If you’re interested in joining the steering committee, send an email to epdogpark@gmail.com.
