Wanaka dogs could soon have a place to call their own if Ali O'Connor's vision for a purpose-built dog recreation park becomes a reality.
Mrs O'Connor is leading a drive to establish a park in or near Wanaka, where dogs could be exercised off the lead and socialised with other dogs in a safe environment.
She is urging dog owners to lend their support to the project.
Wanaka's sizeable dog population had motivated Mrs O'Connor, who owns a 20-month-old Labrador-cross called Shadow.
She said Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) planning and regulatory body, Lakes Environmental, had informed her more than 1500 dogs were registered in the area.
"And I suspect there's quite a number of unregistered dogs in the town as well."
She believed the park would benefit the many busy or elderly dog owners who did not have the time or physical ability to walk their pet regularly.
Also, her job with a radio station had highlighted the huge number of dogs reported missing in Wanaka, which could often be attributed to them being allowed to roam free, unsupervised, she said.
Mrs O'Connor said the park would not be somewhere dog-owners could shirk their responsibilities.
"It's not a creche. There's not going to be somebody there to look after your dog.
"The dog owner, as I see it, has got to take total responsibility for their dog."
The park could be a smaller-scale version of The Groynes dog park in Christchurch, or one of the six in Dunedin.
It would need to be fully deer fenced, with rabbit fencing over the bottom half to prevent small dogs from escaping, and a double gate for added security. Dog poo bins would be provided and agility equipment also.
Mrs O'Connor had approached the Wanaka Community Board and planned to give a more detailed report at an upcoming board meeting.
Board chairman and Queenstown Lakes deputy mayor Lyal Cocks said two council-owned blocks of land had been identified as potential sites - a gravel pit reserve at the top of Riverbank Rd, or another area near the dog pound on the corner of Riverbank and Ballantyne Rds.
However, the last review of the QLDC dog policy determined there was no funding for such a project, Mr Cocks said.
"At the moment there's no Council commitment to fund dog exercise parks."
Mrs O'Connor was still working through various funding possibilities.
