The city could well be on its way to get what is being touted as its first dedicated dog park. The Domlur park, frequented by pet owners and which has been in existence for over a year, may soon be formally labelled as a dog park by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
BBMP Special Commissioner D. Randeep said the park, which was created by local residents, is open through the year, 24x7, unlike other existing options where there are restrictions on time and space.
“I have received their application to declare it as a dog park. I will put the proposal before the Commissioner (N. Manjunath Prasad). We already have exclusive parks for senior citizens and children. This dog park already exists; it is only a matter of formalising it. We can even see if this can be replicated in other parts of the city,” he said.
Hemant Kumar Agrawal, a doctor and resident of Domlur, said the vacant space between the service road and HAL Airport Road used to be packed with garbage. “We took the help of The Ugly Indians to clear it up. One by one, people started joining in, and with help from the BBMP and the government veterinary hospital, Domlur, we were able to create this park. We celebrated the first anniversary recently,” he said. “This is the only dedicated dog park, free for all and open throughout the year. Our councillor has promised to help us improve the place. We already have quite a few dogs and their owners come in on Sunday mornings. This is a place where dogs can be let loose, get some exercise and socialise.”
Domlur councillor Lakshminarayan said the space, spread over 8,000 square feet, would be fenced and beautified, and provided with all amenities, such as jumping tracks for dogs, soon.
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Micro-chip for stray dogs
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is considering fitting micro-chips on stray dogs in the zones where new NGOs will have to be roped in via tenders for the ABC programme.
In an experiment by an NGO, five dogs were fitted with microchips when they were given the anti-rabies serum. The chips helps keep track of them. BBMP Special Commissioner D. Randeep said the exercise could help the palike too.
“There have been allegations of the BBMP relocating dogs, catching the same dogs again. As we are calling for new tenders in some zones for the ABC programme, we could include this as a component,” he said.