Managing Dogs in Parks and Reserves
Thank you to the 1258 who shared their thoughts with us and participated in our consultation in February 2023.
We asked the community to have their say on proposed changes to areas where dogs can be walked in Whitehorse.
What we heard:
About 50 per cent of responses supported the proposal.
There was strong support for new areas for people to walk and exercise their dogs closer to where they live.
Many were happy that dogs would not be allowed on our high grade and specialised sports fields that are currently damaged by frequent dog use.
The vast majority of those who did not support the proposal were opposed to changes at Kalang Park in Blackburn and the Pipe Track Reserve in Nunawading.
Other feedback includes the community were concerned with dog off-lead areas due to poorly behaved dogs and owner behaviour.
What we did:
We removed Kalang Park in Blackburn and the Pipe Track Reserve in Nunawading from our proposal.
To address other concerns, we will increase our educational campaigns and enforcement programs as part of our Domestic Animal Management Plans. These initiatives are designed to educate owners about their responsibilities, guide them in improving dog behaviour, reduce uncollected dog droppings and enforce local laws to ensure everyone's safety.
Major changes:
From 1 September 2023, we are introducing 10 new dog-off lead areas and 14 zones where dogs are not allowed.
New dog-off lead areas
Bennettswood Reserve, South Oval, Burwood
East Burwood Reserve North Oval, Burwood East
Eley Park Oval (North), Blackburn South
Elgar Park South West Oval, Mont Albert North
Junction Rd Reserve, Nunawading
Koonung Reserve North West Oval, Blackburn North
Slater Reserve North West and South East Areas, Blackburn North
Springfield Reserve East Oval, Box Hill North
Surrey Park North West Oval, North East Baseball Sports Field and Upper Oval South East, Surrey Hills
Whitehorse Reserve Howard Wilson Oval, Box Hill
New areas where dogs will not be allowed:
Box Hill City Oval, Box Hill
East Burwood Reserve Velodrome, Burwood East
East Burwood Reserve Athletics Track, Burwood East
East Burwood Reserve South Oval, Burwood East
Elgar Park North East Oval (synthetic oval), Mont Albert North
Elgar Park Hockey Field, Mont Albert North
Hagenauer Athletics Track and Oval, Box Hill North
Mahoneys Reserve Soccer 1 (fenced soccer oval), Forest Hill
Morton Park East Oval, Blackburn
RHL Sparks Soccer West (soccer west sports field), Box Hill
Springfield Reserve West Oval, Box Hill North
Surrey Park Upper Oval South West, Surrey Hills
Wembley Park Soccer (soccer sports field), Box Hill South
Vermont Recreation Reserve Sports Oval, Vermont