The owner of a young dog who suffered a nasty cut when she was bumped into the wire fence at the Dapto dog park blames the council for not maintaining the facility.
His complaint is shared by at least one another user, who says the council has failed to address most of the concerns they have raised for several months.
Poppy the whippet was running with her canine friends at the Reed Park facility recently when she was pushed into the chain-link fence and struck a piece of wire sticking out.
"It just went straight through her skin, ripped her right open," her owner Luke said.
Luckily, Poppy did not suffer any muscle damage but the laceration was serious enough that she needed to go under anaesthetic to have the wound cleaned and stitched, treatment that set Luke back $580.
Luke said Wollongong City Council did not maintain the facility, describing the chain-link fence as falling from the poles.
It is one of several issues Brad Hanns, a regular user of the park and member of the group Friends of Dapto Dog Park, is trying to have fixed.
In April Mr Hanns spoke to the Mercury about issues that ranged from holes that needed to be filled in, to poor drainage leading to stagnant water in a corner of the enclosure.
At that time, a council spokesperson said: "Now that we've received this feedback, we will arrange for council staff to repair the holes and investigate the site".
The spokesperson said it was also investigating options to provide additional shade at Reed Park.
Mr Hanns said the council had installed a drainage pit and put down turf to cover the dirt in the large dog area, although he did not believe this was done properly.
But there was still no shade, he said, which was a concern going into the warmer months.
"The dog park at Dapto is just like a cow paddock," he said.
Mr Hanns said the council had also advised park users that the dog park would be locked after dusk due to people drinking.
"It's not the dog owner community doing this, and we're the ones being punished by council," he said.
It was too hot in summer for people to run their dogs earlier in the day, Mr Hanns said, and many took their pets there once they finished work.
Wollongong City Council could not respond to questions from the Mercury before deadline.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
