BAYSWATER Council has made changes to dog exercise areas at Riverside Gardens and other sensitive areas as part of a review.
There are currently 5479 registered dogs and 41 gazetted off-leash dog exercise areas in the City.
At last month’s council meeting, Cr Giorgia Johnson, who runs Cool Breeze Caf at Riverside Gardens, made amendments and additions to officer’s recommendations.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOWBert Wright Park, the area next to the carpark and playground at Riverside Gardens West, within 20m of any unfenced playground and within 5m of any lake or within a carpark will no longer have dog exercise areas as part of changes to the Dog Act 1976.
Riverside Gardens East will be a new dog exercise area.
The open-grassed area in the northern part of Bardon Park in Maylands, next to Fourth Avenue East and Bardon Place, will be a dog exercise area.
Dogs will now have to be on leash at Lightning Swamp Bushland, Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, Baigup Wetlands and any park where fox trapping, nesting wildlife or other seasonal activities are taking place.
Signs will be installed at these locations.
The council will also consider an allocation or community consultation on where they would like to see a specialist dog park as part of the 2019-20 budget process.
More drinking bowls and fountains, including an upgrade to the existing fountain at the fenced playground at Riverside Gardens, along with shade trees will also be considered at budget discussions.
Cr Johnson said there needed to be a physical boundary from the carpark to the playground at Riverside Gardens so people knew which areas were off leash.
She said more drinking bowls and fountains were needed.
“In the entire Riverside Gardens area, there is only one drinking bowl – it can’t be emptied, it is disgusting, people wash their dogs’ bottoms in it,” she said.
Cr Catherine Ehrhardt was concerned about Riverside Gardens East being a dog exercise area as it was close to the Sanctuary and a fence might be needed in the future.