Dog walkers and their four-legged friends can now enjoy a new enclosed dog training area on Southsea Common.
The Pembroke Park dog training area, which has been created by Portsmouth City Council in response to suggestions from local dog owners, is located between Pembroke Road and Pier Road in Southsea. It is designed to provide a safe space for young or nervous dogs that cannot confidently be let off their lead in open areas or near roads.
Councillor Chris Attwell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Central Services, said: "It is great to see this new area already being well used by dog walkers and their pets. After speaking to a number of people in the area who feel nervous about letting their dogs off the lead on the open common, we wanted to create a nice space where dog owners can feel relaxed about letting their dogs off the lead, and their pets can enjoy a few sniffs and mix with other four-legged friends. We want this area to be a safe and clean space for people and dogs to enjoy, so please do be considerate of others and clean up after your dog if you're visiting."
Local resident Barry, who was visiting the training area with his bulldog Sydney, said: "It's a great area, secure and with plenty of shade and variety for dogs as well as other dogs to meet and play with."
The new dog training area is 1,600m² and enclosed by 1.2m high railings with two gated access points. There are dog waste and regular rubbish bins around the training area and owners are responsible for picking up after their dogs and are asked to be considerate of other people and pets using this space.
