Dog attacks prompt calls for fence at Trott Park Reserve

FED up pet-owners are calling for dog park fencing to separate large and smaller breeds after dangerous run-ins with “stupid dog owners” and their pets.

Phil Robshaw with his dog Harry, Brian Currie with his German Shepherd Koda and Kathleen Clieves with her dog Ziggy at the Trott Park dog park. Picture: AAP/Dean Martin

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DOG attacks and clashes between owners have prompted locals to lobby for a fence to separate small and large pooches at a popular Trott Park reserve.

Michelle Harris, who was instrumental in a push for Marion Council to build its first dog park at Reserve Street Reserve, is now petitioning for an area at the park for small dogs.

Some people have stopped using the park, known locally as Trott Park Dog Park, including Caitlin Button, whose cavoodle Bonnie was attacked there earlier this month.

She says about 10 large dogs chased, cornered and attacked Bonnie.

“My younger sister got to them first and she had to fight her way through these big dogs to reach Bonnie,” Miss Button said.

“It made my sister and I beyond furious to have such stupid dog owners there with dogs who could potentially seriously injure another dog.”

When the sisters got home, they saw Bonnie had been bitten and had grazes all over her body.

“I don’t plan on going back — the incident was terrifying,” Miss Button said.

“I love big dogs and so do my puppies. It’s a shame that there’s some that go there that view smaller dogs as prey.”

Miss Button said a friend had also stopped using the park after she was intimidated by three large, “vicious” dogs, who tried to grab her dog through the fence.

During a separate incident about a month ago, Ms Harris said a woman pushed a man to the ground after he tried to intervene while her dog was attacking another animal.

“Plenty of people have stopped going now — they just don’t feel safe around big dogs,” Ms Harris said.

She has begun circulating an online petition calling for Marion Council to install a new fence to form a separate area for small dogs to roam.

Kathleen Clieves, who walks her maremma labrador cross Ziggy at the park every day, backed calls for an area for small dogs.

“A lot of people with small dogs probably avoid the park in general,” she said.

“(But) there’s plenty of space here.”

Debating the issue on the dog park’s Facebook page, some owners raised concerns about a small dog park reducing the space available for pooches to exercise.

Others said the problem came down to owner behaviour or individual dogs’ temperaments — not the size of pooches.

Marion Deputy Mayor Janet Byram, who covers the Trott Park area, said during planning work for the reserve experts told the council smaller dog park areas had the potential to create more conflict, regardless of breeds.

The council plans to spend $300,000 on building a new park specifically for smaller dogs, but is yet to decide where that will be built.