New dog park just outside Derry a hit with local pups

I spent Thursday morning there with my nervous rescue dog Fergus, an almost two-years-old black Labrador mix and felt a great sense of relief to be able to let him off the lead in a safe environment. We rescued Fergus in November, after he was found straying and never reclaimed, and it has been an up-hill struggle to get him trained, with a long way to go still. He’s a social wee thing, who loves the company of other dogs and is bursting to play, which unfortunately has led to lead reactivity when he sees another dog while out walking. His nervous nature and the fact that he was found straying also means he’s weary of strangers, bikes, scooters, cars, lawn-mowers, stray plastic bags and – most of all – tractors. Unfortunately for Fergus, he’s very cute, which means people love looking at him and trying to pet him, which makes him very uncomfortable leading to barking at people. For this reason, he wears a muzzle, which has actually stopped people from looking at him or interacting at all and making him much happier outside. All this is to say that, outside of our back garden, Fergus isn’t able to run around and play with a ball anywhere there might be other dogs, people or traffic.

We were delighted, so, when Off Lead Agility opened a few weeks ago. The space is completely private, up a secluded laneway on a country road, and enclosed by a very secure fence. Inside, there is a range of dog agility equipment from A-frames, see-saws, tunnels and hurdles, spread out in a medium sized field. There is also a small hut, with tea and coffee and snacks for humans as well as water bowls and chairs. The equipment is clean and easy to use with an induction video sent out the day before your visit. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring treats for Fergus, which meant he didn’t have much interest in the equipment itself (except for the tunnel – which he loved!) but he thoroughly enjoyed sniffing everything around him and fetching the ball. He also had a blast jumping through the window of the tea and coffee hut, although I don’t think you’re supposed to do that! The tea and coffee is run on an ‘honesty box’ basis, where users are trusted to pay the price of the item into a box after use. The proceeds of this go towards the Rainbow Rehoming Centre, who have also been gifted a slot a week to exercise the dogs in their care.

We paid £10 for 55 minutes, which we felt was plenty of time and a decent price. Fergus had a blast but was tired by the end of the session so he was happy to get his lead on and jump back into the car to go home – although we got up at 6am to be there for 6.30am so I think he was ready to go back to bed! The park is located near Donemana, only a 20 minute drive outside of Derry so it was close enough that we were able to go before work.

The owners of the dog park say they understand what life can be like when you have a reactive or nervous dog, and so they wanted to create a ‘safe, secure and peaceful’ area for dogs and their owners to run around. The owners of Off Lead Agility said: “For many dog owners, a daily walk in a popular area can be a stressful experience with lead pulling, reactive or anxious dogs. Dog ownership should be a mutually enriching element of our day to day lives so the park allows the dogs to be free while still confined within our boundaries. It also allows owners to work on their dog's general obedience and recall in a secure area.

"The park has agility equipment throughout, which is a great way to build confidence, fitness and concentration in your dog, with the added benefit of quickly tiring them out. The park also has a number of different activities for younger or older dogs; we have a search area where you can hide your dog’s favourite toy, a sand pit for digging and a pool for splashing. We also have some no impact equipment for younger and older dogs - hoopers hoops and a ground level window gap.

“The response so far has been incredibly humbling. We have virtually been booked out since opening on Friday 4th August. Our 100th dog used the park on Wednesday and we are taking bookings regularly throughout each day. Owners already are starting to book second and third appointments! We are hoping to partner with local dog trainers so that 1-2-1 and group classes can be held at the park going forward.”

The park is run on an appointment basis so walk-ins are not accepted. The park also gives the option to book a ‘Paw Date’, where you can book in with other dogs not in your household for a run around together, although it is required that the dogs are already used to socialising together before this.

For more information on Off Lead Agility or to book a spot, visit https://www.offleadagilityni.co.uk/about. They can also be found on Instagram and Facebook by Searching Off Lead Agility.