\nThe new\u00a0facility at\u00a0Acacia Avenue Reserve,\u00a0North Lambton\u00a0was officially opened today with creatures great and small converging on the\u00a0park\u00a0to celebrate.
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Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen\u00a0said the unveiling of the dog park is fantastic for our dog-loving city and is the culmination of significant community feedback.\n\u201cAfter a\u00a0strong response\u00a0to\u00a0the development of our\u00a0Dogs in Open Space\u00a0Plan,\u00a0including more than 1,000 community submissions,\u00a0it was\u00a0clear\u00a0that catering for our four-legged friends is extremely important to our city,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cDelivering a fenced off-leash area for the city came through as one of the\u00a0major pieces of feedback and we\u2019ve worked since then on identifying the best location in consultation with the community.
\n\u201cThe community\u2019s input has been reflected in the unique way the park has been constructed with special areas for both large and small dogs to play in comfort. I\u2019m thrilled\u00a0with\u00a0this space\u00a0and\u00a0know it\u00a0will be a vibrant and popular place for people and their pets to be active and play outside.\u201d
\nLord\u00a0Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the new park was a premier facility for dog owners\u00a0wanting their pets to enjoy time off-leash and socialising in a contained environment.
\n\u201cThe dog park is\u00a0encircled by a\u00a01.5\u00a0metre-high\u00a0chain-mesh\u00a0fence\u00a0and contains\u00a0452 metres of accessible pathway\u00a0throughout,\u201d the Lord Mayor said.
\n\u201cThe\u00a0park\u00a0is\u00a0now\u00a0equipped with two shelters\u00a0and tables, two\u00a0dog\u00a0bubblers and dog dispenser bags, ensuring comfort for\u00a0dogs and their owners.
\n\u201cA unique and popular feature of the park is\u00a0the\u00a0dedicated areas for small and large dogs to enjoy.\u00a0The\u00a01.5 hectare\u00a0fenced area\u00a0is the ultimate space for\u00a0pet\u00a0owners to bring their\u00a0dogs\u00a0without the worry of\u00a0them wandering\u00a0off\u00a0into\u00a0traffic.\u201d
\nThe\u00a0City of Newcastle has one of the\u00a0highest\u00a0rates of dog ownership in the\u00a0State with more than 44,300 registered dogs calling the city home.
\nThe existing off-leash area at the\u00a0reserve’s lower level will be retained\u00a0providing an overflow from the fenced area.
\nCity of Newcastle rangers were on hand at the opening event to provide free microchipping, dog care packs and information\u00a0on responsible dog ownership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"