The neighbourhood we love: dog exercise parks
Originally published in the Morisset and Peninsula Bulletin, October 2018.
Submitted by Lindi Bowen-Needs.
Does your dog love to play with other dogs? Do you love to throw a ball for your dog more than the ten metres distance of your backyard? Does your dog love to amble around sniffing scents?
There are three locations in our area where dogs are allowed off-leash. They are:
  • Bonnells Bay: Pendlebury Park, Grand Parade (opposite 64 Grand Parade) [leash-free available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (24-7)];
  • Morisset: on the oval at Bernie Goodwin Memorial Park, Newcastle Street [leash-free only available sunrise to 10am on weekdays;
  • Dora Creek: on the oval (opposite 21 Douglass Street) at 22 Douglass Street [leash-free only available sunrise to 10am on weekdays].
For variety, a little further afield and available 24/7 are:
  • Wyee: on the oval at the corner of Summerhayes Road at 11 Tuggerah Street;
  • Buttaba: opposite Clydebank Avenue on Ilford Street along the foreshore among the trees.
In September, Lake Macquarie City Council invited comment on their Dogs in Open Spaces and Draft Dog Exercise Area procedure. If you missed this and want to have your say, contact the Council on 4921 0333 or email council@lakemac.nsw.gov.au.

The following changes are proposed under this new plan:
  • If the Morisset and Dora Creek oval dog off-leash areas are considered to be at training sportsgrounds, they will be replaced by an alternate site within a kilometre (where possible);
  • The Council is proposing a fenced Dog Exercise Area around Morisset (and also around Toronto, Glendale, Charlestown and Belmont) – one per “catchment”;
  • Of those five fenced dog exercise areas, there will be three that are district-quality areas with a minimum of one hectare of land, fencing, shade, water bowl for dogs, bubblers for people, and if there is enough budget, various dog-friendly play facilities. The procedure states that dog exercise agility equipment may be provided if funding is available which could include bridges, ramps, jumps, tyres, logs, boulders or tunnels.
In the meantime, continue to use your local dog off-leash area for their off-leash exercise.
Don’t let your dog run loose around the neighbourhood.
Make sure your fences and gates are properly secured. You don’t want your darling pet to be hit by a car. Make sure your dog is vaccinated and treated before attending the dog off-leash areas so your loved dog doesn’t catch or spread infectious diseases.
Also make sure you don’t let your dog off the leash at the exercise areas until your dog will come back to you when called, as you don’t want your dog getting onto the road or getting into trouble with another dog or person. Fenced dog off-leash areas help with keeping your dog off the road but you still have to manage your dog for safety with other dogs and people.
And don’t forget to take your compostable green bags with you (the ones you use for the food waste caddy in your kitchen) to pick up your dog poo. You can put these in your green waste bin (with the lime green lid) at home. If you don’t want to carry them home, then you can put them in the park general garbage bin (with the red lid). Do not put compostable bags or dog poo into the recycling bin as this will contaminate the recyclable containers and may stop the whole load being recycled.