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Penticton opens two new dog parks

Penticton has become more dog-friendly with the addition of two dog parks to the list of recreation assets in the South Okanagan city.
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Prue McDonald and Koa a four-year-old Weimaraner leave one of the newest

Penticton is becoming a more dog-friendly place, with the addition of two new dog parks and two more in the works. With very little fanfare, the existing dog area at Okanagan Beach has been joined by two dedicated parks. The first is above the water treatment plant on Penticton Avenue, with another near the City Works yard, off Dartmouth Road, in an unused section of the compound previously used as a dog run for the old SPCA. Councillor Helen Konanz is enthusiastic about the new parks, which have yet to be publicly announced by the city. “I brought my dog down to the one at the old SPCA area,” said Konanz. Visiting on a Sunday, she not only found four other families with their dogs, she was told there had been up to a dozen dogs visiting the previous day. “We may need to get a couple more picnic tables to make it even more of a social event, but I think these dog parks are the beginning of a place where people are really going to congregate in our city and it’s a place where all generations can get together and get to know each other,” she said. “I think we are going to find those are some of the most popular parks in our city. As soon as people find out, I think you are going to see even more people rushing to these parks.” A third park is underway, according to Len Robson, public works manager for the city. “The one at Ellis Creek, down at the end of Industrial Avenue, is partially constructed. We will be seeding it soon and finishing that off,” said Robson. A fourth park in the Upper Wiltse area, he continued, is in the planning process. “We have started our consultation process with the school district and then we will be expanding out to the neighbouring properties following that,” he said.