01/08/2026
Following an email received this week I’d like to address the reason about our “unappealing unkept long grass areas”
The dog parks are ultimately for dogs enjoyment, I provide 2 parks for a booking (outwith the times of 10am-11.30am and 12.30-2.30pm weekdays park 2 is available) this is unique to any other dog park facility. The choice of 2 very different parks.
The Agility Park has tunnels, jumps, tyres, dog walks and areas of long grass and a mound that has unfortunately had quite a bit of digging to it, I am purchasing turf so we can sort the digging out.
I provide dog poo bags, a poo bin, a watering station, (unfortunately at times the tap is left on and at times all the water drained, please check it’s been fully turned off to the close position) a picnic bench and a shelter.
Park 2 has minimal equipment - a water station, some jumps, a tunnel and tyres and a big shelter plus it is split into 2, so the top puppy paddock can be closed off to create a smaller area for recall training for puppies and dogs. The grass here is mainly cut short although I have to balance this due to very dry weather, cut too short the grass will dry with the dry hot summer we’ve had.
There is an area of longer grass in here again for dogs enjoyment.
I refuse to have the parks looking like a golf course, the parks are for the dogs enjoyment. They’re based on what our own dogs needs and wants were when they were being designed but also by giving 2 very different parks to cater to all dogs needs.
Each evening our resident poo picker is out in the parks picking up poo and filling in dig holes. We have kept the parks going since the tragic death of two of our horses in May, a third horse being nursed since then to save her life, one dog needing surgery for a mass, another dog getting gravely ill and requiring life saving surgery, just recently a third dog having a heart murmur scare, whilst we work full and part time at the animal hospitals. It’s been an emotionally and physically tough time made even harder with having ME, getting hurt by one of the very ill horses who was sadly pts and then a virus that resulted in bilateral ear perforation.
The scathing email received about the park the day I was in the hospital for Brea’s cardio scan was so disappointing and disheartening. It does not reflect the parks and the effort we put into them and we log when people arrive and depart for security reasons and to be told it was so bad that they left early when it was 6 minutes off the end of a 50 minute session isn’t really someone turning up finding the place horrendous and leaving. I’d understand leaving after 5 minutes not 44.
I really don’t know any other dog park that provides 2 unique parks per booking, we could easily just open up both parks for separate bookings to help with financing such a place but I do this for the love of dogs and want your dogs to have what ours need, a quiet place without anyone else about. We’ve met so many amazing customers and dogs here, formed friendships and all who understand my ethos, it’s ultimately a place for the dogs. Dogs off lead freedom, brain stimulation, places to sniff and explore jumps to jump etc
We have so many amazing regular customers and lovely visitors who I am all so grateful for and so many have asked about how the horses are doing as many of you have become familiar to them while they grazed the nearby fields. So thank you from the bottom of my heart as it’s been the most horrendous year as a dog and horse parent that I’ve ever experienced and I take great joy when I can hear dogs and their owners having so much fun in the parks, it’s really uplifted me as I’ve navigated the grief of losing my two homebred mares plus all the other hellish things going on with my animals. I did feel like giving up upon reading that email but I then think of all the lovely dogs and their owners who bless the parks and I couldn’t do this too you all. I might be a bit broken with everything that’s gone on but I’m undefeated.
On a brighter note, we have some amazing new dog jumps on order atm and cannot wait for their arrival. Plans to try and get a new route into the park and hopefully in the not to distant future some other exciting dog related plans.
Once we get the turf delivered we will crack on with the bigger maintenance that was originally planned for May before all things went up in the air and the horses becoming ill and dying😭 we will try and have as minimal closure of the agility park but will provide park 2 with some additional dog agility equipment as I know so many people use the parks for these things.
Apologies for the long post but hopefully it gives you an update on where we are and that we are a one man band (no we don’t have maintenance crew that should be in the park every time between bookings to top up water pick up poo etc etc) we are here long before opening and long after closing whilst juggling work, dogs and horses, in an ideal world we’d employ someone but it’s just not financially feasible but I think we mainly do a good job considering everything else we are doing.
We’ve also now planted over 700 new trees and native hedging this year as it’s great for the wildlife and will further screen the dog parks creating natural shelter and shade.
Thanks again for your continuing support as without each and every one of you we would not be.🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾❤️
