Proposal revealed for dog park in Mayo

A Castlebar area councillor wants to see the town become home to a dog park.

At the December meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Donna Sheridan raised a notice of motion calling for Mayo County Council to conduct a feasibility study on developing a dog run or dog park in the town.

Fine Gael Cllr Sheridan told the Western People that this would be a very achievable project for the council.

“It would be a nice amenity. We’re talking about fencing off a certain area, splitting it into two sections, one for big dogs and the other for small dogs, and then putting in a drinking fountain and one or two bins. That is achievable, it is something small we could do,” she said. “It would make life better for the dogs and the people who own them and it can be a positive socially for both.”

She said similar projects around the country have been highly successful, such as St Anne’s Dog Park in Dublin and Mullingar Dog Park.

“I asked the council to investigate if this is something we could do in Castlebar. It’s not so novel that it is not done anywhere else, it has been done in other local authorities,” she said.

"We would need to ensure that our dog owners act responsibly but there are no issues with 99% of dog owners in the town."

Cllr Sheridan envisioned Lough Lannagh as a suitable location, given that it is home to several other popular amenities, but said this would all depend on the results of a feasibility study.

Responding to the councillor's motion, Head of the Castlebar MD David Mellett said the establishment of a dog park in the town would be subject to several factors such as location, rule implementation and liability considerations.

“The insights gained from an initial study could inform future discussions and decision-making processes,” he said.