New dog park on horizon in Kildare
Cllr Clear referenced a survey that showed there were 10,000 dogs in the area
A PERMANENT dog park could be on the way for Naas after it was claimed that a facility is needed to cater for the town’s large canine population.
Kildare County Council say they are considering a location for a dog park despite a motion for a pop-up dog park in Fairgreen and a survey to assess the need for a permanent fixture being defeated.
Cllr Bill Clear authored a motion at the most recent meeting of Naas Municipal District requesting that the council establish a pop-up dog park on the Fairgreen in the town and asked that the council conduct a survey of local dog owners to assess “the need and support for a permanent dog park in the Naas area”.
Cllr Clear referenced a survey that showed there were 10,000 dogs in the area. He suggested that this prospective pop-up park would open on a Saturday and give local authorities an opportunity to ask dog owners what they think of the idea.
The motion was narrowly defeated with Cathaoirleach Seamie Moore casting the decisive vote.
Cllr Moore said “people shouldn’t be looking to offload their dogs onto the council” and that two or three staff would need to be paid to clean up excrement from the animals.
Cllr Carmel Kelly supported cllr Clear’s motion, stating that the pop-up dog park that opened in Monread in 2018 was “hugely popular”.
However, there appeared to be some issues with the pop-up with cllr Kelly mentioning some chaos that resulted in dogs in local houses being able to smell the dogs using the pop-up park.
She nonetheless supported the motion, being of the view that the Fairgreen would be a good area for such a facility.
A council representative said that the council is looking at an alternative location for a permanent dog park, with at least an acre needed for the project.
A report published in response to cllr Clear’s motion outlined that the council does not plan on repeating the pop-up dog park exercise after the Monread event.
