A proposal to fund the construction of a dog agility area in Collie was passed at this week’s Shire of Collie council meeting.
The council voted unanimously to match the $3000 in funding it recently received from Pet Friendly Park Grant for dog agility equipment.
The matched funding was a condition of the grant that the shire received from the Keep Australia Pet Friendly campaign, which provided one grant of $3000 in each state. The Collie submission won the West Australian grant.
Shire of Collie Director of Corporate Services Allison Fergie said during the meeting that the shire had applied for the grant a couple of weeks ago and were shocked when they found out their submission had been chosen.
The plan called for the funding to be used to purchase and install between six and eight pieces of specialised dog agility equipment that will allow dog owners to exercise their pets in a social manner.
The equipment that has been identified for the project is the recycled plastic range from PAWS4PLAY that was designed with assistance from animal behaviour specialists and allows for both on- and off-leash use.
After consultation with the Shire of Collie Rangers, Timber Park was identified as the ideal position for the pet-friendly park due to its location, which isn’t close to any residential properties, and because it is currently under-utilised.
While there are several park areas around Collie where dogs can be exercised both on- and off-leash, there are no purpose-built dog parks in the area. The $3000 funding for the park will come from the approximately $30,000 the shire had allocated for park-related materials, such as park benches, barbecues and similar items.
The proposal claimed that providing a purpose-built pet-friendly park would benefit the community, particularly in providing a safe place to socialise dogs and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle for pets and owners.
Have your say, would like to see more equipment for dogs in Collie? Email jemillah.dawson@fairfaxmedia.com.au
