The city was once dotted with unofficial dog runs. As a kid growing up halfway up the hill in Westmount, we'd drag our half-poodle-half-chihuahua Snowy to the Villa Maria to frolic leash-free among the apple trees, very rarely getting scolded for the uninvited visit.
One of those rare surviving dog-free urban places is Percy Walters Park which was originally bequeathed to the city under certain stipuations, mainly that it be kept as a place for kids. But dog owners have made it their unofficial turf and it's a pretty nice place to bring a dog. The city now wants to give part of it over to the kids though and the dog owners are crying foul. As a result there's a City of Montreal Public Consultation taking place tonight at 6:30pm at the Concordia EV building (room EV 1.605). The purpose of the consultation is to present the proposed plans for the "réamènagement" of Percy-Walters Park making it more accessible to the general population of the area. Apparently spirits are running high and some passionate rhetoric is expected. Personally I'm a lot more keen on children than I am on dogs, so I won't bore you with my point of view other than to say that I'm glad that Justin and Sasha Trudeau might get a public playground for their young children.
More info: Facebook group: The friends of Percy Walters Facebook group: Montreal Downtown Families Craigslist montreal, pets section http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/pet/
As a very involved grand-mother AND a dog owner, I would like to add my comments: It would indeed be a lovely place for kids to play, if there were enough kids of the right age group within walking distance...Most of the buildings on Dr. Penfield host an older generation and even if there are some newer and younger members, these can certainly share in the peace and beauty of the park. I certainly have used the park for both my grand-kids and my dogs and saw no problem in it. Fencing in spaces is just another way for "humans" to spoil a natural spot, add to the pollution and generally cause more problems than necessary.
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree, as there are many children in the area. 99% of them don't go in because the park is stinky and dangerous. I have tried taking my 2 year old kid in there many times, and you wind up having to hold him in your arms, as there are dogs double his size running around. Sadly, we are forced to drive to Westmount, where kids actually have some rights
ReplyDeleteMount Royal is right next door which is not a dog off-leash area, why don;t you take the kids there instead of all the way to Westmount?
ReplyDeleteDog off-leash areas are already under allocated in the downtown area.
Just to comment about Mount Royal: Mostly because you can't have your toddler running around there, first there is no safe green space easily accessible, unless you are willing to walk for 20 minutes to get to the other side, second, bikers ride very fast so it is not very safe for little kids. I personally don't mind the dogs, but it does get uncomfortable when they run to your child and lick the face (happened yesterday). I think the arrangement right now is perfect.
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