Small dogs have been given their own area inside the Shand Park dog exercise area at Green Island - the first such area in Dunedin.
The cost of fencing the new area has been paid for by small-dog owners Deborah Mills and James Stewart and installed with the help of Dunedin City Council senior animal services officer Pete Hanlin.
Mr Hanlin said they were not excluding small dogs from the big dog area but there was a need for some small dogs and some of the owners of small dogs to have their own space.
Mr Stewart said he had recently talked to a woman in her 80s who owned a small dog but was not happy about going to a dog park because she was not confident about breaking up a tussle with a larger dog.
He said many people chose a smaller dog because they were easier to handle and they could not physically run after and restrain a larger dog.
''They are precious animals and for a lot of older people it is the only companion they have.''
Mr Hanlin said the small-dog park was a new concept for Dunedin, which has six dog exercise parks. Shand Park was chosen for the first small-dog section because it was a big park with room for both.
Only small dogs are allowed in the new area. Medium-sized breeds, such as Staffordshire bull terriers, still have to use the large-dog park.
- Dan Hutchison
