Rain rough on dog walkers

RIVERSIDE Park in Lismore, the dedicated dog-walking park, has effectively become a no-go zone due to recent wet weather, forcing dog owners to go elsewhere.

A dedicated dog-walking park has become a no-go zone because of rain. Picture: Jacklyn Wagner

THERE wasn't a person or a dog to be seen at Riverside Park in Lismore yesterday.

The dedicated dog-walking park has effectively become a no-go zone due to recent wet weather, forcing dog owners to go elsewhere.

While some are fed up, council staff called for patience yesterday as workers struggled to maintain grounds in the recent warm wet weather.

With grass up to half a metre high in some places, local dog owner Dave Noble said the park had become a haven for ticks in the increasingly damp conditions.

"On top of that ... the dog poo bin has not been emptied, creating a foul smelling opportunity for the breeding of disease," he said.

"Dog lovers are staying away from the popular park."

He added that the plastic bag dispenser had also not been refilled, causing a build up of dog droppings throughout the park.

A sympathetic Lismore City Council parks co-ordinator Martin Soutar visited River-side Park yesterday.

"Last week the crew was set to go down to Riverside and Heritage Park before it got washed out," he said.

"That rain didn't help and it's pushed things back because our main priority at the moment is obviously getting the larger parks and the sporting fields up to par.

"That little area (Riverside Park) has obviously been missed for a couple of weeks and one area is getting a bit long."

Mr Soutar added that under- ground springs would often pop up in parks near the river banks, making grounds even boggier and the parks more difficult to access.

"We should be able to get in there this week and it is a priority now," he said.

"It's usually scheduled every two to three weeks but we're starting to get a bit of warmer weather so it will be every two weeks from now on."

Mr Soutar also said the dog-dropping bag dispenser was usually refilled once a week but vandals would often empty them out before that.

Originally published as Rain rough on dog walkers