The City of Barrie's off-leash dog parks — of which there are two — are a joy for the dogs, and owners alike, that visit them on a regular basis.
The Bayview Drive location, which is situated in the south end at the back of the parking lot at the Sadlon Arena property, boasts a two-acre site with a large, open area for running around, as well as a natural treed area beyond it that has trails for the dogs and owners to explore.
If you have a small dog under 30 pounds, there is even a small pen where they can hang out with other similarly sized pooches if they are leery of the larger breeds, if so desired, to get them used to it.
As dogs are pack animals by nature, experts say bringing them together to bond and can play an important role in maintaining the animal’s mental health.
Young dogs are encouraged to start young when visiting these parks, as it is a great way to teach your pup how to behave around other dogs and people, which can translate to a polite and calmer dog when out and about in public within the city.
Eliza MacDonald, with her three-month-old shepherd mix puppy Twyla in tow, is doing just that.
“She has only been here for a few weeks. She’s a little afraid of the other dogs here, which is why I wanted to start bringing her here so she could start to get used to other dogs. She wouldn’t leave the yard because of other dogs and hides under cars when we go places. Now she is starting to play with more dogs and be in the same area as them,” she told BarrieToday.
Marion Breedon has been bringing her dog Tucker, who is almost two years old, and has been a regular at the Bayview Drive park since he was six months old.
This is where he learned to behave with other dogs, she says. He has his other canine friends there that he likes to hang out and play with.
“There’s Poppy, and a girl husky, and there’s another girl. He seems to pick out the girl dogs, even though he’s fixed,” Breedon says with a laugh. “And then he behaves like he’s not in the best mood, like today, and we leave.”
Clearly, his girlfriends weren’t there at the time.
“I really appreciate the City of Barrie with the dog parks and maintaining them. We try to find the dog’s poop when we can, and sometimes we can’t," Breedon says. "When they first built this, they didn’t have many trails out at the back, and now they built the trails out wider and mulched them.
"The only other thing is that there is a marshy part, so we get dogs with black legs when they come out, but that’s part of all their enjoyment.”
The other location in the city that is fenced off for dogs and hosts an off-the-leash recreation spot is in Sunnidale Park, between Sunnidale Road and Coulter Street.
This natural area has footpaths, rolling hills and more inside its large, seven-acre enclosure which surrounded by a four-foot-high wire-mesh fence.
In 2020, the city added new benches, trail upgrades and bridges, while also implementing a soil and vegetation regeneration and restoration project in the dog park.
Visitors are strongly advised to visit the city’s website for the dog parks and familiarize themselves with the list of strict rules and guidelines that are in place for those who plan to bring their dogs. The rules and other helpful information regarding these dog-friendly areas can be found on their website by clicking here.
