When asked about the parks’ progress yesterday, City of Greater Bendigo public space design co-ordinator Aaron Lindsay earmarked mid-2018 for their delivery. 

A total of $72,000 was allocated in the 2017-18 council budget for dog parks at Allingham and Chapel streets in Kangaroo Flat, and at Truscott Reserve in California Gully.  

The previous group of councillors voted in favour of adopting the Domestic Animal Management Plan in July, 2016, a document which includes plans for the two new parks.  

Planners’ first priority was securing the sites with fencing and piping in water for thirsty pets, Mr Lindsay said.

Unlike the city’s existing dog park, Harcourt Park in Strathdale, neither the Kangaroo Flat or California Gully sites had a natural water source.

Attention would then turn to infrastructure that Mr Lindsay hoped would set the new parks apart from the Strathdale facility.

Those plans included “dog agility equipment” – jumps, weave poles and platforms on which the four-legged friends could play. 

“The aim of both parks is to provide a secure place for people to exercise and socialise their animals,” he said.

He said dog park facilities were not only important for animals but for the social opportunities they facilitated between owners.

“If we didn't have that park, I imagine a lot of people wouldn't have that opportunity,” he said. 

“People follow their dogs around the park and meet people along the way; you can't undervalue that aspect.” 

The new locations would also cut down travel time for people who drove across town to use Harcourt Park on Reservoir Road, Strathdale. 

That facility is currently subject to a blue-green algae warning. 

Owners are being asked to keep their animals out of the tainted water, which can cause vomitting, nausea and disorientation if swallowed. 

People and animals that come into contact with the water should wash their skin immediately in clean water.