Request to make upgrades at Wriggly Park

By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer

Dog owners using Wriggly Field Dog Park in the city are hoping the city will add some amenities and new fixtures to the facility.

Appearing before the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday Shannon O’Neill said dog owners are hoping to see three features added at the park; lighting at the north gate, a wind shelter for owners, and some canine enrichment structures.

The park was opened in 2015, and sees continued growth in year round usage, said O’Neill, citing that according to reports (source: Abacus Data), almost one million Canadians adopted or brought pets into their homes during the pandemic.

Pet owners needs a safe option to exercise their dogs and Wriggly Field has been this for many Yorkton dog owners since its inception in 2015, however the park amenities need to continue developing with this drastic increase in pet ownership, explained O’Neill.

O’Neill said dog and owner safety is the most important issue currently at Wriggly Field. As it stands to date, there are two lights inside the park fence however they are not very bright and only light up the south gate and cement padded area. The rest of the park is very dark, and you cannot see your pet if they stray anywhere else.

The shelter would give owners a place to get out of inclement weather.

The proposed shelter would be similar to the baseball dugouts at J.C Beach Ball Diamond to not only match the aesthetic but also this allows for a partially open shelter where pet owners can effectively watch their pets.

Structures would keep dogs happy.

With such an increase in park usage the potential risk of dog fights increases as well.

Enrichment structures not only provide fun for the dogs, but it has been known to “reduce stress in dogs and reinforce socialization practices” (source: Purdue University), explained the presentation.

When asked the potential cost of the improvements, O’Neill said while it might vary and they had not worked with the city on an estimate they were expecting $15-$20,000.

The request was referred to future budget discussions by Council.

The up for photos, from left, were: (Back Row) Coach Christine Friesen, Willem Wilkinson, Zach Burback (face obscured), Levi Erhardt (face obscured), Coy Dixon and Jacob Burback; (First Middle Row), William Wilkinson, Phoebe Wilkinson, Stefanie Wilkinson, Meredith Burback and Max Stone; (Second Middle Row) William Wilkinson, Phoebe Wilkinson, Stefanie Wilkinson, Meredith Burback, Bryden Leis and Rhys Lawless; and (Front) Amara and Ryker Barrowman, Westyn Mitchell, Hudson Lenderbeck (face obscured), Camryn Erhardt, Tenley Leis, Vitaliy Chernoff, Bidgette Lenderbeck, and Lylac Chernoff.