I am the very happy owner of 2 mental we dogs, they have so much energy it is fantastic. However living in the area of Orangefield there is no fenced dog areas to allow them to just be off leash and enjoy a mad run about.

It is not safe to let them off leash as there is a busy road and not all other patrons of the park want my tiny little hurricanes jumping about them. I appreciate that not everyone is a dog person so just letting them off while I walk them is not always a good plan.

If there was a fenced area such as the park in the Stormont Estate this would allow the dog owners in the area to be at peace knowing their furry friends are safe and that they will not bother other people. 

A dog park has the ability to help local business promote their business (such as dog grooming, training, kennels, dog walking, local pet stores) and would attract people from far and near to realise the beauty, fun and community spirit that Orangefield/Bloomfield has to offer.

Also many behavior problems in dogs are caused by a lack of physical and mental activity. Dogs were born to lead active lives. They’ve worked alongside people for thousands of years, hunting game, herding and protecting livestock, and controlling vermin. Dogs’ wild relatives lead busy lives, too. Their days are full of hunting, scavenging, avoiding predators and complex social interaction. Most pet dogs, on the other hand, spend the majority of their time alone at home, napping on couches and eating food from bowls—no hunting or scavenging required. Many become bored, lonely and overweight. They have excess energy and no way to expend it, so it’s not surprising that they often come up with activities on their own, like unstuffing couches, raiding trash cans and gnawing on shoes. Also lets face it barking due to boredom and in the area many people live in Terrace properties and this will lead to issues with neighbours.

To keep your dog happy, healthy and out of trouble, you’ll need to find ways to exercise her brain and body. If she enjoys the company of her own kind, visits to your local dog park can greatly enrich her life. Benefits of going to the dog park include:'' Benefits include: 'Physical and mental exercise for dogs Your dog can zoom around off-leash to her heart’s content, investigate new smells, wrestle with her dog buddies and fetch toys until she happily collapses. ' 'Opportunities to maintain social skills Dogs are like us, highly social animals, and many enjoy spending time with their own species. At the dog park, your dog gets practice reading a variety of other dogs’ body language and using her own communication skills, and she gets used to meeting unfamiliar dogs on a frequent basis. These valuable experiences can help guard against the development of fear and aggression problems around other dogs' 'Fun for pet parents Dogs aren’t the only ones who enjoy dog parks. People do, too. They can exercise their dogs without much effort, socialize with other dog lovers, bond and play with their dogs, practice their off-leash training skills, and enjoy the entertaining antics of frolicking dogs.