How private dog parks are bringing joy to sensitive pups

The first time Lisa DeCurtis and her German shorthaired pointers went to Country Canines Play Park, it was a life-changing experience.

Her younger dog, Sunshine, had never run off-leash before. She didn't come back when called, so public dog parks weren't a good option. DeCurtisalso had frequent run-ins with aggressive dogs that had bit her older pointer.

But for $16 for a half hour, her dogs had a space all to themselves. Finally free from her leash, Sunshine was unstoppable.

"It was so incredible, the joy of her," said DeCurtis. "I think she ran the entire perimeter, like, three times without stopping, at full speed."

Now she goes there with her pointers almost every day. It's part of an apparent upsurge in the popularity of private dog parks for pets that don't do well in the free-for-all melee of public spaces.

"This is a very safe setting where each client knows that they're not going to be faced with a strange dog or strange people," said Country Canines Play Park ownerBobbiann Geller, who opened her first location six years ago.

Demand has been so strong that she's opened three more since, all in the Ottawa area. She has plans for two more, one in London, Ont., and one in an undisclosed area.

Her parks serve as venues for everything from play dates to dog birthday parties. She also hosts litter reunions, where puppies are reunited with their siblings a year after being adopted out.

But it's mostly just an outdoor refuge for dogs that don't do well with strangers. She gets about 50 bookings per week at each park, and though shewon't disclose her earnings, it's clear she finds her busy schedule rewarding.

"It's certainly worth my effort," said Geller. "It has provided me with a type of flexibility that I didn't have before."

There's an app for that

Geller said her parks are so booked up that she doesn't need to look for new avenues to draw in customers. Growth has come organically, through word of mouth.

But a new smartphone appis offering backyard entrepreneurs another way to connect with customers.

Sniffspot is like the Airbnb of dog parks, bringing the sharing economy to fenced lots across North America. There are only a handful of Sniffspots posted aroundOttawa, though some have attracted a steady stream of customers.

Clayton McWilliams has been hosting dogs with Sniffspot for about two years now. He saw a trickle of interest at first, but last year it took offwith 470 bookings.

"I'm aiming for 600 this year," he said.

McWilliams said his border collie Maggie partly inspired him to start usingthe app.

"I got her during COVID, so she didn't get a chance to be exposed to that many people," he said.

Sniffspot properties range from backyards to acreages. McWilliams fenced off a part of his family's farm near Navan thatwas previously used to grow hay, and saidopening it to dogs has proven more profitable.

"It's not super lucrative by any means," McWilliams said. "But it is a nice little passive income to have."

Be mindful

But that might not be an option for just anyone with underused open space.

In a statement, the City of Ottawa's director of bylawand regulatory services, Roger Chapman,warned that the use of lands for that purpose "may be comparable to an animal care establishment or kennel, depending on the nature of activities."

"The owners of lands are advised to be mindful of permitted uses of their lands, and impacts on their neighbours," Chapman said.

Kennels and animal care establishments are listed as permitted uses in some parts of the city, particularly in rural areas, but not in urban residential areas.

Chapmansaid complaints would be investigated on a case-by-case basis, with due regard for noise issues.

A safe space

Heather Laundry, who runs a dog training centre called Carolark in Stittsville, said there'sa long list of reasons that can weigh against public dog parks.

"It may be that it's a dog that doesn't do well with dogs that it's unfamiliar withor doesn't do well with dogs that it's not carefully introduced to," said Laundry.

Laundry said she doesn't remember many rentable spaces for Ottawa-area canines until about five years ago. Now, she frequently recommends them, since pets that don't do well in public areas still need the stimulation of exploring outside their own backyards.

"Exploring a novel environment can be valuable, having a sniff around a space that they perhaps have never seen before," she said.

Aggressive dogs need a place to work on behaviour modification, Laundry added, while older pets can be put off by the roughhousing in public parks. Nervous or anxious animals might also need space to themselves, she said.

Maureen Campbell said her Bernese mountain dogOpalis "particularly sensitive," as befits her breed, and is also full of energy.

Campbell said she heard from trainers that public dog parks could put Opal at risk of injury, frighten her or teach her bad behaviours.

But Geller's park was fenced and private, with no surprises. It seemed safe. She still goes there twice every week.

"The play park was an absolute godsend when she was a puppy," said Campbell.

Both Campbell and DeCurtis said it can be tough to get a spot at the play park. They've noticed steady popularity, and expect further growth as more people catch on to the trend.

"I think everyone should know about it," Campbell said. "Except then I'm not going to be able to get booked."