Review: Dog park outside Derry gets 'pup-graded' with new indoor play area

The dog park opened their outdoor arena earlier this year and it has been a hit with local pooches and their owners, who have a spacious, safe and private area to exercise their dogs.

I took my nervous rescue dog Fergus to the park for the first time in August this year and have been back as often as we can since. Unfortunately for us, the park is incredibly popular so getting a spot can sometimes be difficult but hopefully with the opening of the new indoor space, it will mean more chances to get out.

We were a bit apprehensive about having another dog at the park at the same time as us because Fergus is very reactive to other dogs. Before the opening of the new area, we had viewed the facility as a place where we could relax, knowing there would be no other dogs but we were worried it wouldn’t be the same now. We needn’t have worried though, because Fergus was so excited about simply being there that he didn’t even notice the other dog at all when we arrived. As well as that, there are car parking spaces right at the door of the indoor arena so you can park close and make a quick dash in.The indoor area is housed in a former farm shed, which has been converted and extended to provide a large space for running around. There is a small, unmanned reception area at the front, with a gate into the off-lead area. The ground is covered in sand and there are pieces agility equipment scattered around the place. From looking at pictures, I had thought the space would be smaller than it is but there is ample room to run around and do some training without knocking into the equipment. For the first 15 minutes, we may as well not be there while Fergus sniffs out all the other dog smells and explores the area and then sniffs some more. There’s a bit of the shed that was obviously used for farm animals in a past life that has been converted to an area for dogs to dig in. We always try encourage to Fergus to dig to shorten his nails but we had no such luck indoors as he decided to use it as his runway to leap four foot over some tyres over and over again! It was a great day out and Fergus was so tired by the end of it, he didn’t make a peep when we were leaving and he saw the four dogs who were coming in next.

The owners of Off Lead Agility said: “We are delighted to have the indoor play area open now for the dark evenings and wet winter days. It has been wonderful to hear of how much people have enjoyed spending time in our new play area with their dogs.

“We are still humbled by the response and popularity of both our play parks. Our aim is to provide a safe, secure space where dogs can enjoy off lead time in peace with their owners."

For more information on Off Lead Agility, visit https://www.offleadagilityni.co.uk/