Dog owners snarl over changes to park

Dog owners were the ones growling during a public meeting on renovations to a southeast Calgary park.

The city has been renovating Southland Natural Park for two years, planting thousands of trees, building pathways and putting up fences to keep people and pets out of some of the ecologically sensitive areas.

On Tuesday night, the city held an information session on upcoming work at the park on Southland Drive and Deerfoot Trail, but staff were forced to spend much of the time defending what's already been done. 

Darrell McGorman, a dog owner who has been using the park along the Bow River since he was a boy, said the fences and paths are cramping available space.

"We're kind of treated like second-class citizens," he said.

Dog owner Acara Kada handed out homemade flyers that stated: "How much more off-leash space are you willing to lose?"

"Dogs aren't stupid. They know when people are imposing on their space," she said.

"It's not just a park. It's a dog park where dogs can actually come and have a great time [and] socialize, one of the biggest, most important things of their lives. They're just cutting down on space … giving them less area to play and have a great time."

Kyle Ripley, a spokesman for the parks department, said the city has listened to those complaints and made changes, but can't please everyone.

"There's an area that is originally designated to be fenced off as a natural area that has now been opened up as off-leash area. That's a bit of a pilot program," he said.

The funding, from provincial infrastructure grants, includes a contingency fund and project administration, and covers the costs of a conceptual design for a second bridge at the west end of St. George's Island.