New dog park proposed for Heathcote, but some locals concerned about noise
A new fenced dog park has been proposed for the Christchurch suburb of Heathcote as part of a plan to open all of Birdsey Reserve to the public.
The new park would occupy Birdsey Reserve across the road from Heathcote Valley Primary School and the Heathcote Cricket Club and not far from the Lyttelton Road Tunnel.
The 3.5-hectare site rises from Bridle Path Rd. Under the proposal, it would contain two fenced dog areas, one for medium and large dogs, and the other for small dogs. Both would contain agility equipment.
The rest of the reserve would be planted in natives and fruit trees. Walking tracks, benches and signs would complete the landscaping plan.
Heathcote ward councillor Sara Templeton said she had received “some emails” opposing the dog park “due to the well established community ecological restoration project happening there”.
At a community consultation meeting in Heathcote early in November, noise from barking dogs was raised. The council had never received a noise complaint about a fenced dog park, the spokesperson said. Dog parks are typically open 24 hours.
Consultation on the proposal has closed. It was a “temperature check” by the council, engagement adviser Hannah Ballantyne said. If it was positive, a bid for funding would be made up the chain of command at council.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.5% Summer
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36% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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