Griffith’s dog park is behind most other dog parks in the regional area in relation to space as well as facilities for both local and visiting dogs and their  owners. During the peak times there can be in excess of 20 dogs and their owners and we are finding that there is quite simply not enough room for all the dogs to run and play without the dog park feeling cramped at times. We seek the communities support to request an expansion and improve of the dog park. In comparison, Albury’s dog park on Logan road is huge, with many obstacles and room for dogs to run around. Hay’s dog park at Pocok Park has obstacles for their dogs. Leeton’s dog park and Darlington Point’s Lion Park and park on King Street are large and have a walking track. The location of our dog park is good and there is a big community of dog lovers in Griffith that use the current dog park daily. 

This petition is requesting the following improvements/expansion to be taken into consideration by Griffith City Council and its members: 

We would like for the dog park to be much bigger. A lot of us have big dogs that don’t find the park big enough to run. We throw balls for our pets and we can’t get much range before the ball hits the fence. Sometimes at the park there are 20 + dogs and there is just no room, making the dogs feel caged and sometimes prompting  aggression because the dogs are all over each other and become annoyed with each other. Some people have suggested extending the current dog park across to the garden maze, moving the access point to down the road and putting another dog park from the other side of the Showgrounds to Griffin Ave (as per attached map image).

To have flood lights for night time, especially in Winter as it gets dark at 5:30-6pm. We consider this to be a safety issue as there are dogs have black and/or darker coloring which makes it difficult to see them at night. Without sufficient visibility, it’s harder to control them. As dog owners, we also want to feel safe attending the dog park at night time. As working members of the community, there are some dog owners who finish work at 5pm which by the time we get to the park it’s 5:30pm and getting quite dark. Our dogs are disadvantaged as because it is so dark they are unable to enjoy play time and outdoor activities due to lack of visibility.

More agility obstacles.  Currently, we only have one tunnel. A dog park is a place for dog enrichment, they get out of the home and come to the park to socialise, to play and to engage with their environment. Agility obstacles are also good to encourage help
owners train their dogs and give their dogs and owners a purpose instead of standing around chatting. Some obstacles could be: A jump over, hoop jump, long tunnel, sandpit, king of the hill ramp. 

Containment facility for dog toys.  For council to keep a crate for dog toys and balls so they don’t get mowed over. Our dog park
community has probably spent over $500 in balls, toys and things for our dogs to do at the park, given there is only one obstacle, the tunnel. Most of these get mowed over by council. If we could have a crate to put the balls and toys in before they get mowed over, it would save us a lot of time and money. The crate could be placed attached to the fence as one of our dog park members Hailey has done previously. This was taken down due to ‘Hygiene reasons’
which still hasn’t fully been explained to us. 

General Maintenance. There are a few safety issues with our park as outlined below:

a) The dog park carpark is made of dirt and has one pot hole and one raised concrete hill. The pot hole fills with water when raining. We would like to have a concreted car park with a disabled parking spot for our members that aren’t able to walk well.

b) There is a drain under the trees on the left side that needs repairing. It’s a hazard for dogs and humans that step over it. Many dog owners have tripped over this and it's a continual hazard that needs to be addressed. 

c) There is also a chair that is placed in a bad position. It stands alone on the left hand side near the drain and is always dirty and covered in sap which makes it is sticky to sit on. We would like for this chair’s position to be moved or removed - it is not used often because it is dirty and covered in sap and is also placed away from the other chairs. It also gets in the way of throwing balls. We would like more chairs to be placed at the top of the hill of the dog park, where the sun is in Winter. It would also be lovely to have a picnic table with a shade covering so we can sit with our coffees while our dogs play. 

d) To have a drain around the water tank for the dogs. The water tank leaks from the side nozzle and the water bowl spills out onto the dirt, creating mud and mess. 

The Griffith dog park community would truly appreciate the support of the greater Griffith community as we are all passionate about our dogs and their wellbeing and we all truly want to be advocates for our dogs and the owners who attend the dog park.