Westleigh's leash free dog run up and running

 

There were dogs galore at the dog run on Friday 5 March 2004 to celebrate its recent opening .

Starting around 6.00pm , the evening saw over a 100 dogs and owners come and go and many took advantage of the BBQ arranged by Steve Evans and Nick Berman. With over a 100 snags donated by the local butcher “A Cut Above Fine Foods” and several loaves of bread supplied by Westleigh's Gourmet Bread Shop, the BBQ was a roaring success.

“We were truly surprised and overwhelmed by the number of people who came on short notice. Although we had notices up they continuously disappeared, a letterbox drop just days before the event, solved the problem,” reported Steve. “One person told me that they were originally against the run but now bring their dog to the park. They, like many others, are already creating new friends amongst those using the park”.

It should be noted that all dogs must be on a leash when outside the run, even the short distance to the car. It is an offence and you could be fined if caught, so please do the right thing and make the park a success.

Steve does not believe that Westleigh is truly divided over the dog run. He believes that a small number of people think that the whole park belongs to them, and therefore try to dictate how all the parkland is to be used. However, our park is special, with cricket nets for practice, oval for sports, kiddies playground, toddlers

Story supplied by Steve Evans Photo's taken by Stuart Ravaillion

bike track, BBQ area, four tennis courts, toilets and a leash free dog run means that the park now has more to offer everyone.

We should all rally together, rather than fight. We need to work together for further improvements. We should be proud of the diversity of activities our great park provides”.