apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Toronto DEFINITELY needs more dog parks! My condo building has a nice big patch of grass in the main courtyard and dogs are not allowed. Well there isn't a law that can force dogs to not play on grass so many of us don't abide by the rules.

we have a really cute little park across the street from us. they have little stands with biodegradable poop bags and receptacles for the waste. the water fountain even has a dog spout and bowl at doggie height.

Minneapolis has quite a few really nice dog parks. One is located on the shores of the Mississippi!! Great for dogs that love water.

I'd like to see a cat park. Cat leashes are becoming more and more popular, but I'd feel safer taking my cat out on a leash if it were in a fence enclosed area. A different fenced enclosed area than the one the dogs are in :)

Ok. I know this will be an unpopular perspective, but here goes: My neighborhood has a dog run, but that doesn't seem to encourage enough owners (or paid walkers) to pick up after their pets on the surrounding sidewalks or keep them on leashes once they're out of the dog park. I'm a parent myself, and have had to do a lot of shoe cleaning over the years that my child has had to share public spaces with dogs. (There were relatively few dogs in Central London, where we lived before.) I also know that aggression can be a concern, though my kid hasn't been bitten. And DC's public parks aren't even developed for use by human children as thoughtfully as they should be. Dog owners outnumber parents in my neighborhood, and I want to be neighborly (usually), but I think societies should recognize that they have more of a collective investment in the next generation (of people). So while I acknowledge the "eyes on the street" value dog walkers bring to any neighborhood , this just isn't in my family's best interest.

cat park? seriously? lol...

I don't want to be an ass but what cat wouldn't be able to squirm out of a leash and let someone walk them like that? I really want to meet this cat. My dog doesn't like playing with other dogs. : ( It really bums me. I think it's just his personality though cause I really think my baby thinks he's human.