Bengaluru: Dog park goes to the dogs after BBMP steps in

BENGALURU: The city’s first dog park developed from the scratch by residents of Domlur for their pets to gambol around nearly three years ago is now a wasteland of sorts.
Promising to upgrade and renovate the park, the BBMP dismantled the equipment installed for dogs in July last year. Though work began immediately, there has been no significant progress.

Vijay Anand, a Domlur resident and parent of three dogs, said: “The place was really turned around. It used to be a dumpyard before locals cleaned it up to develop a dog park. Even people from Indiranagar and surrounding areas would bring their dogs to the park. Those without pets came here to just watch the canines play.”
The park was operational since August 2017 and remained so till July 2019. Residents were hoping for the park to emerge as a hub of dog lovers but are now lamenting how things took a turn for the worse after the Palike stepped in.
“We even celebrated the park’s first year anniversary by conducting activities such as adoption drives and drives to instal microchips in pet dogs. BBMP, too, conducted vaccination and licence-issuing campaigns for dogs at the park,” a resident, who volunteered in building the park, said.
Residents in the dark
Residents say they have been deliberately kept out of the loop about the fate of the park. “I usually go for a walk in the morning and happened to notice that the fence was taken off. The board stating it was a Dog Park was also removed without notice,” said a pet parent living nearby.
A volunteer involved in developing the park said, “Canines aren’t allowed to have a free run anywhere. They are supposed to be free and allowed to run around, which is not only good for their joints but also a huge mood enhancer. The park was developed to provide this kind of a space for dogs.”
“For days before the dog park was opened, my friend and I would visit the place to pick up small glass pieces from the lawn so that the dogs aren’t hurt,” he added.