Walkies Day in Greenwich Park (photo credit: Dave Levitt)
Where will the responsible dog-owners of Greenwich exercise their dogs during the 2012 Olympics (6-8 weeks total closure of the Park)? Most breeds of dogs require at least two walks a day, and that should include at least half an hour off the lead (which cannot be done safely on the street or on the Heath). Large and/or powerful dogs like Siberian huskies (of which at least three live in Greenwich), rottweilers, Staffordshire bull terriers, labradors, need a lot of space to let off steam every day; otherwise, they develop behavioural problems.
Even the six-eight month month partial closure of the northern end will be very inconvenient for owners and dogs from the densely populated areas of West and East Greenwich. We know that 4 million people visit the Park every year, and in the summer that is about 60,000 per day. But has anyone carried out an audit of the number of dogs visiting everyday - would it be in the hundreds or thousands?
There is of course no other significant green space in this part of Greenwich for dogs to run around or do their "business" (dogs are not allowed into the grounds of the National Maritime Museum and the Old Royal Naval College). No doubt nearby pavements will be used but will Council dog fouling enforcement patrols be stepped up? SD
