Gibraltar Opens New Dog Park

Considering the size of Gibraltar and the huge number of apartments, residents on the Rock still seem to find space for their dogs.

Whilst there is a lot of open space up the Rock, apart from a few parks and beaches there isn’t really a great deal of space to exercise any animal except by walking them along the pavements or driving them some distance.

Laws governing dogs

There are several laws concerning the proper way in which a dog should be treated and exercised and one hangover from pre-Brexit days is that in theory all dogs should be micro chipped.

Naturally there is an additional requirement for all faeces to be removed (and there is a possibility that unremoved mess could be DNA tested with a corresponding fine for the owner of the dog when identified) plus urine should be washed away.

Dog parks

Spain has led the way with dog parks both in urban areas and by beaches with the most recent being opened just across the Gibraltar/Spain border in La Linea de la Concepcion.

Now Gibraltar has followed suit and today, October 5 opened not one but two dog parks at Eastern Beach.

The park has a total area of some 760m2 and is divided into two separate secure sections, one for small dogs and one for larger dogs.

Each section is provided with a dog shower and water points whilst shade is provided by timber pergolas, and ample seating has been provided for owners and handlers.

Larger shrubs, palms and smaller plants have been installed in planters which run around the perimeter of both sections and trees have been installed in both areas to supplement the shade.

Lighting has been provided so that the hours of use can be extended beyond daylight.

Advice has been taken from experts into the selection of the park surface which is a rounded river stone which has been chosen to avoid harm to the animals and has the added bonus of being porous which will allow the area to be washed down when necessary and drain readily when it rains.