Lobbying begins to bring Griffith dog park up to scratch with other regional parks

A recently instigated petition has already attracted over 300 signatures, lobbying council to expand the area of the park, located on Murrumbidgee Avenue.

It's hoped a sufficient number of signatures will lead council to discuss the issue at a future ordinary meeting

The Change.org petition cites a number of issues with the park, chief among them being insufficient space for multiple animals to run around.

In addition are calls for flood lights for both practical and safety reasons during winter, more agility obstacles, a containment area for dog toys, and maintenance upgrades.

Griffith woman and dog park user, Nicola Thoner, recently started the petition and says the facility is behind most other parks in regional centres.

"It's something that's always been brought up ever since I started going to the dog park, and has apparently been going since the park was established in 2016," Ms Thoner said.

"We attended a recent council meeting to introduce the petition. Now it's a matter of getting the ball rolling.

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"There's a big dog culture in Griffith. I go every day after work and there are always regulars at the park. It's more than an outlet for dogs to run around; it's a community. It's an important part of our pets routine as well as a chance to socialise.

"It teaches dogs to interact with another dogs and people, as well as create good relationships. That's why it's important that we improve it."

Ms Thoner said the petition will circulate for another month or so, with hopes of it being raised at council's August meeting.

"It's a real grass-roots community initiative," she said.

"There's paper petitions at Pets Domain and Feed & Grain, as well as an online version.

"What I hope is that council will providing a transparent process so we know what will be happening next.

"It would also be fantastic to have assistance with what options might be available, such as community grants opportunities.

"Council have been supportive so far and I hope to see that continue."

For more information and to access the petition click here.

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