BARK FOR CHANGE; Riverain Dog Park needs you!

Top four (4) Safety Priorities:

Lights, Grounds, Projectile protection, Access.

Requested improvements;

Garbage, benches and trees/greenery.

SAFETY #1; LIGHTING

Context; Some lights was available until late October when the sun gradually sets earlier. Since November, 5pm and 6pm sunsets are common.

REQUEST: we (dog owners) want a safe illuminated area at least from 4pm to 9pm until end of Winter each year (April). Lights, so we can feel safe from violence or fowl play in very dark parks.

SAFETY #2; SAFE GROUNDS

Context; None of us are surprised, the grassy field rapidly deteriorated in July/August after only a few months of use. September/October has been VERY dangerous with wet mud and slippery access entrances. We (many dog owners) have been avoiding the park for some time, deeming it unsafe, with a history of slips and falls being reported (Average once/week).

REQUEST: mixed soils & granular base for better drainage and better adhesion on feet, so we can stop slipping at entrance gates and stop tripping on ground holes. We suggest granular grounds with limited vegetation or much more robust vegetation, similar grounds to other nearby parks like Jack Purcell, Stanley, Rockliffe, Shefford.

SAFETY #3; PROJECTILE PROTECTION FROM BASEBALLS

Context; neighbouring baseball diamonds get quite busy on summer weekdays with recreational leagues on each night of the week.

REQUEST: we (dog owners) want a safe way to visit our dog park without fearing for the safety of our furry friends and for ourselves. We have no major incident to report, we estimate between 2 to 6 balls enter our park on any given summer weekday, most of the time someone will yell “fooooour” or “BALL” thus we believe everyone has kept safe, SO FAR.

SAFETY #4; SAFE ACCESS

Context; dog parks usually have double doors, this allows for safe entrance on leash between the double doors, and release of dog with other incoming dogs without any fear of a loose runner (dog escape).

REQUEST: we (dog owners) acknowledge one door was provided at west entrance, however both single doors at NE and SE corners are used much more frequently. Some traffic originates from the rideau river pathway, most visitors originate from the residential areas neighbouring the east side of the park, why was a small area with double door not provided between the new dog park fence and the existing baseball fence? It sounds like an extra 10-15ft of fence cant be that expensive and it would have gone a long way in giving us a double door access along the eastern side of the dog park.

Improvement #1;

Context; garbages are a hot commodity for dog owners. Without them, some neglectful citizens may dump their bags near any abandoned or un-serviced garbage bins as was the case last winter on the path near 1 Donald St. Garbages were only provided to us from July-September this year. None were available before the “official” opening, therefore residents of the area shares duties of filling a bucket and bringing it back home every day or two, and in October another resident brought their blue bin to attempts to mitigate having a pile of bags near the fenced entrances.

REQUEST: while we have another metal garbage bin now, since November 29th 2021, we fear this one could easily be stolen by nearby mischievous citizens/youth or homeless individuals.

Improvement #2; greenery and benches

Context; most dog parks have nearby benches and some limited greenery, plants, bushes, etc… this park is completely fenced from one baseball diamond to the next, now with no grass, and baseball stands are no where close enough to keep an eye on a dog inside the dog park.

REQUEST: we (dog owners) would like to see this park receive similar love and attention, a reasonable budget to accommodate at least a single bench (similar to shefford) or at least a few bushes or trees (similar to JackPurcell, Stanley, Shefford, etc).

By signing this call for change, these individuals strongly supports ALL SAFETY CONCERNS, and agrees with above requested improvements. 
For the love of our beautiful city, and our parks, we beg for a review of the issues listed above, located at the Newly improved Riverain Park.

In solidarity,

~Your group organizer; M.L.~

gabjer_09@hotmail.com