The Municipality of South Huron will consider putting a new dog park in Exeter, after residents brought the idea to council.
Abby Hannah presented to council last month, noting that while there were two dog parks in South Huron in Crediton and Centralia, they were not accessible for Exeter residents that can't drive.
At this week's meeting, Mayor George Finch said he was on board with Hannah's idea, saying there was no limit on how many dog parks the Municipality could have.
"A permanent dog park is a one-and-done investment," he said. "No ice or outdoor nets to maintain, no ball diamonds to maintain daily. What it does is offer a year-round facility that will benefit today's population and future generations. I have spoken to no less than 25 people about their interest in a dog park, and all are in favour of one. Especially one that is split to allow smaller dogs to be separate form larger ones."
The vote was unanimous to direct staff to prepare a report on the cost of establishing a park in Exeter.
Mayor Finch also suggested reaching out to pet-service businesses about sponsorship and consulting with Julie Sawchuk on how to make the park truly accessible.
He said building the park would help cut down on incidents of conflict and dogs running free.
"By showing a united partnership with (Hannah) on this initiative, we would be solving a problem where dogs now run free," said Finch. "Yes, we all know there's a by-law that prohibits off-leash dogs, but surely we can't be naive to think the problem is going to go away by simply saying there's a by-law... turning a blind eye to it will not solve the problem, nor will kicking it down the road."
Staff will bring back the report on the cost of an Exeter dog park to a future meeting.
