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All Cromwell residents may bear the brunt of the town’s only large off-leash dog exercise area closing, a dog behaviour specialist says.
More than 50 dogs owners and about 45 dogs gathered on Sunday at the Alpha St reserve, designated an off-leash dog walking area, to show what could happen if planned tree felling in a Sandflat Rd lot went ahead.
Zoomies Dog Training & Adventures owner Lisa Telle said there were fights between dogs and lots of barking.
Miss Telle has led a campaign to fight a Central Otago District Council decision to fell trees in a lot at Sandflat Rd that had been used for recreation the past two decades.
It was one of two council-owned lots in the road planted as commercial forestry blocks.
One had been ear-marked for development as an industrial site and potential solar farm.
The council decided in November it would fell the trees on both blocks, which were about 1km apart, at the same time as it was more economical.
Miss Telle said the council had no plans for the recreation site and it claimed the trees were unsafe.
"The community quickly sprang into action, starting a petition, attending council meetings and funding an expert arborist report which confirms the trees are safe and healthy," she said.
More than 700 people had signed a petition to stop the tree felling.
She had presented the group’s concerns to the Cromwell Community Board.
The arborist’s report was emailed to the board last week.
One of the biggest concerns dog owners had about losing the Sandflat Rd site was there was nothing else that big with shade and free of other seasonal problems such as barley grass, Miss Telle said.
"That’s the only shade in town.
"It’s essentially, in the summer, the only place other than the lake that you can take your dog.
"But at the lake, technically dogs are not allowed off the lead. And you know, there’s tons of tourists and bikes and kids and all of that jazz as well."
Alternative sites offered by the council, such as the Alpha St reserve, were too small and too close to playgrounds, cycle trails and roads, she said.
"Dogs need off-leash time.
"They weren’t born to be on a leash, which is why so many people have issues with leash walking, because it’s not natural for them.
"And so without having a safe place to unwind and sniff and smell and be a dog, dogs are going to be more on edge, anxious and all of those negative emotions that us humans have.
"But for dogs, they sort of bottle up and then they become reactive ... what a lot of people call aggression."
In a statement sent to Miss Telle, Central Otago District Mayor Tamah Alley said the council and community board were exploring alternatives to provide off-leash dog-walking opportunities alongside the possibility of a dog park.
The primary reason for felling both blocks was financial.
"Carrying out the work together is the most cost-effective option for ratepayers, particularly at a time when council is heavily scrutinising budgets.
"With fuel and contractor costs continuing to rise, delaying or staggering the work would significantly increase costs," Mrs Alley said.
Partially felling some trees could create instability and risk for people walking through them, she said.