[Johnnyuk123]

As someone who uses the local parks to walk the dogs daily i've noticed just how under used those places are. Especially during the week.
My idea....
I would love to see dog rescue shelters setup their office inside our parks.
It would encourage more people to visit, they could also (for a small fee) allow visitors to take their dogs out for walks in the park. That fee would go back into the up keep of the dogs etc. This would also raise the chances of those dogs in their shelters being re homed. And in the meantime those dogs waiting to be re homed will be a lot happier cos they are getting lots more attention and excercise!

How could you not want to take this little guy out for a walk?

[arista]

what is the FEE?

[Johnnyuk123]

Originally Posted by arista

what is the FEE?

lol Whatever they wanna charge. £1 donation etc.

[Crimson Dynamo]

insurance would be a nightmare

[Johnnyuk123]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

insurance would be a nightmare

Oh i'm sure they could work something out. Another plus for it too would be that Doctors could tell their patients about it as a good way to get out and about and socialize whilst getting some excercise. Pensioners especially those who live alone/recently widowed etc would greatly benefit from it. People who suffer from poor health/depression ,it would also help them too etc, things like that.

[waterhog]

with all this insurance and stuff - its not going to happen.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Johnnyuk123

As someone who uses the local parks to walk the dogs daily i've noticed just how under used those places are. Especially during the week.
My idea....
I would love to see dog rescue shelters setup their office inside our parks.
It would encourage more people to visit, they could also (for a small fee) allow visitors to take their dogs out for walks in the park. That fee would go back into the up keep of the dogs etc. This would also raise the chances of those dogs in their shelters being re homed. And in the meantime those dogs waiting to be re homed will be a lot happier cos they are getting lots more attention and excercise!

How could you not want to take this little guy out for a walk?

..there's a lot of nice stuff in what you say/suggest, Johnny...you're obviously a huge dog lover and caring person...having the homing centres there right next to parks though is something that doesn't quite sit right with me, just because I think that people should be very sure about re-homing a dog or any animal and know that it's something they really want t do...so actually having to go to the homing centres means that the thought has gone in, rather than just a possible 'impulse' thing, which then may not work out.../but I like your thought processes with it though...


..by the way, my OH's mum has a dog walker because she's not very mobile herself and she pays that person £10 a day/for the walk...

[Jamie89]

It's a nice idea, where you're coming from and all. But the thing I like about parks is that there is a lot of open space, especially in a place like london it's nice to have somewhere peaceful and open. So in principle I'd be against thinking of ways to fill parks or make them busier, however much you might try and sway us with the puppy dog eyes

[Johnnyuk123]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..there's a lot of nice stuff in what you say/suggest, Johnny...you're obviously a huge dog lover and caring person...having the homing centres there right next to parks though is something that doesn't quite sit right with me, just because I think that people should be very sure about re-homing a dog or any animal and know that it's something they really want t do...so actually having to go to the homing centres means that the thought has gone in, rather than just a possible 'impulse' thing, which then may not work out.../but I like your thought processes with it though...


..by the way, my OH's mum has a dog walker because she's not very mobile herself and she pays that person £10 a day/for the walk...

Thanks Ammi.
I've higlighted your point above. I'm not just thinking about people re homing a dog. That's great if it happens for sure but i'm also looking at the bigger picture. Those dogs would get more time out of the kennel which makes for healthier happy dogs. I'm aware that lots of people simply can't have a dog, rented flat/homes etc old age and lots of other reasons but at the same time those same people could walk those dogs and enjoy getting outdoors.

[Johnnyuk123]

Originally Posted by LiamBB

It's a nice idea, where you're coming from and all. But the thing I like about parks is that there is a lot of open space, especially in a place like london it's nice to have somewhere peaceful and open. So in principle I'd be against thinking of ways to fill parks or make them busier, however much you might try and sway us with the puppy dog eyes

Thanks Liam

My local park is over 480 acres. It takes just over 2hrs to walk around it keeping on the path. Takes even longer if you take offroad paths. On one side of the park near the entrance is a gym,running track,cafe,bike hire and a small farm like area with rabbits, chickens and birds etc.There is loads of space where all these things reside and there is plenty of room for a dog re homing place without it encroaching on the park itself. Like i said in my OP parks are defo under used.

[DemolitionRed]

I love dogs but I'm not sure this idea could work.

All dogs are assessed when they enter a dog pound but how do we asses the people who want to walk them? Without thoroughly vetting a person they would lose dogs. Some people would just see it as a cheap way of getting a dog.

It would be lovely for dog lovers who can't have a dog, to be able to occasionally/regularly walk one but there are websites that allow you to borrow and walk peoples dogs and kennels often take on volunteer dog walkers.

Its always noisy around a kennel full of dogs and the echoes of howling and barking dogs would ring across the park and become a constant noise pollution.