Pawsome news for dog owners in Amherstburg.
The town has officially opened its new dog park, located at The Libro Centre, 3295 Meloche Road.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Monday afternoon to open the park. The park is split into two areas divided by a parking lot. One area, 0.3 acres in size will be for small dogs, while the other, 1.6 acres in size will be for large dogs.
Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue says there are rules to follow while in the dog park, but the number one rule is, "You don't clean up after your dog, you can't come back," he said while laughing.
"And make sure their dogs don't fight. Mostly dogs don't fight they just love to be together and they just roam around and have fun. But they have to be mindful and watch, they're on the outside watching. They can get inside to clean up or to put a leash on the dog to take it out."
He says he believes many residents will take advantage of this new town amenity.
"It's a very dog friendly town. We had a great number of people advocating for a dog park. More even than advocated for other amenities."
The project was approved unanimously by council back in April 2022 at a cost of $166,000.
Prue says when construction started it was mostly a field.
"It had at one point been a farm and we had to plant trees, we had to plant grass, we had to smooth it out so that it was level, put fences all around it. It cost a lot of money but we're very pleased now that it's going to be opening."
Per the town bylaw, residents will be able to use the dog park until dusk each day.