It’s like a private country club. But for your dog

Casper loves to run, and fetch and play. It’s just not crazy about other dogs.

Now, the Husky-Labrador cross, and other pooches in London like it, have a more private play option.

Country Canines Play Park, a private dog park, has opened in south London. Pets can have the run of the one-hectare park all by themselves, or have a few invited friends join them.

“I have an anxious dog. He’s run-and-ball-obsessed but doesn’t do well with other dogs, in regular dog parks,” said Maryla Gallagher, Casper’s owner.

At Country Canines “he ran and ran for a half hour. It’s exactly what we needed.”

The park, at the northwest corner of Wonderland Road at Highway 402 charges a fee for rental, from a half hour for $16 up to $42 for two hours. That gets dogs full use of the park to themselves, or to share with friends, making it ideal for a dog party, off-leash training or dog owner who may not be able to walk distances or pull on a leash.

“When we went to other parks a lot of dogs wanted to be our friend, but he’s protective of me. This is one dog at a time,” Gallagher said.

The online book system – countrycaninesplaypark.com – staggers start times, so there will not be an anxious dog in the parking lot waiting, she said.

This is the fifth Country Canines park in Ontario and the first in Southwestern Ontario. The other parks are in the Ottawa area. The idea grew from owner Bobbiann Geller opening one on her property about seven years ago when she had a dog boarding and day care business. The private park proved popular, and the business has grown.

“I think dogs need a place to be a dog and not be attached to a leash all the time,” Geller said. “The clientele that use our parks are a broad spectrum of people and dogs. The reason I started it is for reactive dogs that don’t do well around others.”

In 2020, she opened her second location when COVID hit. As an outdoor activity, it proved popular.

The park offers double-gate entry, 1.5 meter fencing, agility style obstacles, a picnic table, shaded area, drinking water for the dogs, waste bags and disposal, umbrellas, flashlights and motion-sensor perimeter lights.

The park has rules to ensure privacy such as all appointments are by booking only, no showing up more than five minutes before your start time and leaving five minutes after your time ends. Dogs must be leashed outside the fenced area and can never enter the park when another dog is there.

Geller expanded to Southwestern Ontario as she wanted to diversify outside the Ottawa area and London offered the right size and land was available for lease.

“London is a good size city. My biggest expense is land and I found a site that was large enough and affordable,” she said.

“When I first opened, I posted on Facebook and through word of mouth it grew.”

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