Geoff and Margaret Price usually take their Labrador Mitzy to the showgrounds for a weekly dose of social interaction, but a new contender has owners shaking up long-held rituals.
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Katherine's first dog park, located on Lockheed Road, was officially opened by the Mayor of Katherine yesterday.
The park has been years in the making, with a small group of Katherine residents lobbying for a fenced enclosure for their furry friends to run amok worry free.
Though Katherine Town Council had just $18,000 from the 2018/19 budget for the project, they have delivered a fenced park measuring about 40 metres by 40 metres, and most owners say they'll be switching up their routines.
"We take Mitzy to the showgrounds every Saturday, but sometimes there are functions on, or there are 30 or 40 people there with their dogs, and that is a bit too busy for us," Mr Price said at the opening.
"You can come here and sit in the shade and read a book, but we will continue to go to the showgrounds as it is a bigger space."
The couple said the new park is perfect for smaller dogs, especially on a busy day.
"If you contain big dogs in a small space, fights are bound to happen," Mrs Price said.
Robyn Page is another Katherine resident who routinely takes her dog Harley to the showgrounds on Saturday mornings, but a lack of fencing has always been a concern.
"It can be dangerous at the showgrounds with cars driving through, and a main highway just a couple of hundred metres away," she said.
Now there is another option, she will be switching between the two, however, her hopes have turned to more activities she says need to be added to the park.
"It would be nice to have things like an agility course," she said.
"People like to train their dogs in dog parks, it would be great to see things to jump over or weave through like you see in other towns."
The Lockheed Road dog park features shady trees, a permanent park table, and low-to-the-ground water bowls and a tap have been installed.
At the opening, where more than 20 owners brought along their pets, the Mayor of Katherine Fay Miller tested the size of the enclosure with a few perfectly executed tosses of the ball.
She had brought along her eleven-year-old Labrador Bunji who was reveling in the social space.
"I usually take [Bunji] for a walk along the path past Clyde Fenton Primary School and around the cemetery, but we don't see a lot of dogs on the way," Ms Miller said.
"He gets upset when he's not around us, he's a very friendly dog, so this will be good so he can socialise a lot more."
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