Saskatoon opens two off-leash parks for small dogs

Small pups in Saskatoon can run around at two new dog park locations that are dedicated specifically for them.

Brad Babyak, the City of Saskatoon’s recreation services manager, said the project was five years in the making, and construction began earlier this spring.

A dog playing at the Charlottetown Dog Park, an off-leash park that the City of Saskatoon has dedicated to small dogs. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

The Charlottetown Dog Park, located just behind the Cosmo Civic Centre, is just under an acre in size. It has mature trees around the grounds for shade, and has dual gates to avoid escaping dogs, Bobyak explained.

Additionally, the Hyde Dog Park in the southeast part of the city now has an additional space dedicated to only small dogs, and two separate off-leash areas, according to the city.

Babyak said these dedicated dog parks were created to address some safety concerns that Saskatoon dog owners expressed through a survey.

Lisa Hanikenne said before the Charlottetown Dog Park opened, she didn’t feel other parks were safe for her morkie, Gibson.

Hanikenne said at previous parks, bigger dogs would interpret Gibson’s barking as aggression, which sometimes resulted in biting or nipping.

Now, Hanikenne goes to the dog park twice a day, and Gibson can run around with other dogs his size.

“He just loves coming here. When we approach here, he barks and is just thrilled,” Hanikenne said, adding the community already feels like a “dog park family.”

Nathaniel Teed, the MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin, said he’s excited to let his two dogs — Georgia and Charlie — run around and “get loose” at the park.

As the owner of two small dogs, he said there’s anxiety surrounding his pets’ safety when bigger dogs are around.

Dogs savouring the Charlottetown Dog Park, an off-leash park that the City of Saskatoon has dedicated to small dogs. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

“To have a park that’s ready and available for small dogs of a certain size, you know that safety is going to be a top priority for everyone in the park,” he said.

As part of a long-term plan, Babyak said the city will be looking to add additional small dog parks, ideally in each quadrant of the city.

The City of Saskatoon says that dogs must be under 40 centimetres at the shoulder and under nine kilograms to be permitted in the new locations.

There are 11 other parks for all sizes of dogs throughout the city: