Where?
There are 2 primary dog parks in our local area. They are open 24 hours daily, however, they are not well lit in the evenings so most people tend to go during the daytime.
Each park displays a board on the outside of the fence with the park rules.
Moncton: Centennial Park Dog Park – located off of St. George St. at the Rotary Lodge Parking lot entrance.
Riverview: Isaac’s Run Dog Park – located behind the tennis courts at the bottom of Biggs Dr.
Why?
Dog parks are a great place to exercise and socialize your dog. The parks are fully fenced in and offer a lot of space for dogs to stretch their legs and play with other dogs. Most of the dogs that go to the parks are well socialized and enjoy romping and wrestling with their furry friends.
Why not?
Dog parks are fully open to the public. Anyone can bring their dog(s) to the play park. Unfortunately, this sometimes includes the not so well socialized or sick dogs. Meaning some dogs don’t play so well with others, therefore, scuffles can (and do!) happen.
There is always a risk of picking up illnesses such as Kennel cough, papillomavirus, parasites, etc. Also, injuries can (and do!) happen as well. When there is a bunch of rough and tough kinds of dogs all romping and wrestling or chasing each other around the park accidents are almost inevitable, from lacerations to bite wounds to orthopedic injuries.
The onus is on each owner to keep your dog as safe as possible. There is no such thing as park police. You enter at your and your own dogs’ risk. If you do plan to take your dog to the park it’s imperative that you ensure your dog is as protected as possible by means of vaccinations, deworming, etc. This will not eliminate your dog’s risk of exposure but it WILL help reduce it.
As long as your dog is friendly and gets along well with others, the dog park can be a really fun place to visit. Even for the owners, after all, who doesn’t love interacting with, observing and playing with all different kinds of dogs?
Written by Lisa Michalik RVT
