Western Bay of Plenty’s first urban dog park will officially open this week.

This Saturday, October 14 from 10am, Te Puke’s Dog Park at Lawrence Oliver Park will be the place to be for kūri and their humans.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is inviting everyone to join in the celebrations, with treats for the pooches and the chance to test out the new dog park’s fun obstacles.

"Your pooch will love sniffing out this new space, designed just for them," says a council spokesperson.

"It’s a fully fenced enclosure with two separate areas for high energy dogs, and a chill out zone for lower energy dogs.

"You’ll also find features like tunnels, climbing and balancing equipment, a water drinking fountain, bench seating, grassed areas, pathways, and of course poo bag dispensers and bins."

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer says it’s great to get this excellent facility open to the public, especially as the community helped design the space.

“We have a high level of dog ownership in our district, and we know that many dog owners want safe and secure spaces to exercise their dogs and improve socialisation.

“I am pleased that we are fulfilling the commitment Council made through our Long Term Plan 2021-31 to build this facility for our community,” says Mayor James.

“This is the first urban dog park in our District, with plans and designs underway for our next parks in Ōmokoroa and Katikati.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out and meeting lots of dog owners and their pooches at the official opening in Te Puke this weekend.”

Dogs enjoying themselves at Greerton on Sunday.  Photo: Rhys Rolleston.

A big thank you is due to TECT for their generous $48,000 grant, says council staff, which in addition to council funding coming mostly from dog registration fees, and a contribution from the Te Puke Community Board, got the project across the line.

Talks, Tips and Tails, 10am – 1pm

Following the opening of the dog park on October 14, Talks, Tips and Tails will kick off at the same location – a free, fun and educational event for dog owners.

• Learn new things with awesome training tips like dog etiquette, barking, socialisation and more
• Get your dog-related questions answered by experts from Council's animal services team, Vada's Angels Animal Rescue, SPCA and Te Puke Vets
• Information on adoption
• Socialise with other local dogs and their owners
• Treats for the pooches
• Try out the new dog park’s fun obstacles
• Grab a coffee and a sausage sizzle or burger

Animal Services Team Leader Peter Hrstich says this event provides a great opportunity to learn a thing or two and kōrero with all the dog experts on hand.

“Education is a big part of what we do as an animal services team, and we’re always looking for different ways to engage with dog owners on things like etiquette, excessive barking, aggression and socialisation,” says Peter.

“We hope this event will give dog owners a chance to learn some new training tips and get their questions answered by a range of experts, including Te Puke Vets, the SPCA and Vada’s Angels Animal Rescue.”

Pooches of every shape and size on leads are welcome!

Talks, Tips and Tails and Official Opening of the Te Puke Dog Park:

10am – 1pm, Saturday, October 14, at Lawrence Oliver Park, Te Puke. Free fun for all dog lovers.

Follow the event on Facebook for more info and updates.