Whittlesea Public Gardens, Lalor, Victoria, 3075

             

Whittlesea Public Gardens is very cool and has a big off lead dog park, it's not that wide (wide enough though) but very long and has so much going on. The park is fenced the whole way around and the entry point has a double gate system so there is no worry about dogs sneakily getting out. One bad thing I noticed when we went was that there were no poo bags despite a bin being located just outside the gate. The other disappointing aspect was they have now placed large tanks in the park that have been separated from the park by temporary fencing. It's not a big deal as the park is quite big, so does not impact the park in that sense, but the temporary fencing sits off the ground and small dogs e.g. Chihuahuas and puppies could probably fit through the gap. I'm not sure if these monstrous tanks are here to stay or just a temporary arrangement, only time will tell I guess.

The couple of times we've been here we have only met 3 other dogs. What makes this park really cool, besides being entirely fenced, is it has permanent agility equipment! Tunnels, jumps, a boardwalk, weave poles etc. It is pretty fun to play on this equipment even if you have never done agility before. It is also super cool that the park is not just grass but there are small planted areas for exploring and provide some variation rather than just the plain old grass the whole way through.  There is also a bench where your human can sit and rest while you run, play and sniff to your heart's content.

Not only does this park house a great off lead park but it also has a nice area to walk your dogs on lead. I stress on lead if you are outside of the fenced dog park due to many rabbits making their home here and being out and about during the day.

I'm sorry my silly human forgot their camera so we do not have any photos to put up of this park yet but it was such a cool park that I thought I must get this review up on the blog. As soon as we get back there we will update the post with photos.

Facilities:

• Water Fountain with drinking bowl
• Agility equipment
• Fully fenced dog park

Google Maps - Whittlesea Public Gardens

 

DART - Laser Toy

           

The DART laser toy is a motorised plastic apparatus that houses a laser pointer that runs on batteries. We both enjoy chasing the red dot as it dances around the floor, although Ozzie seems to enjoy it much more than me. I still prefer it when my human makes the handheld laser pointer dance around manually.

On this laser pointer machine dog / cat toy there are 4 different timer settings starting at 5 minutes and increasing by 5 minutes increments to a maximum of 20 minutes. In addition to the timer settings there are 4 different speed settings, allowing you to mix up the fun so you can’t predict the laser’s movements and get bored. I have to admit I thought it would be more of random pattern that went everywhere akin to when my human plays with us with his laser pointer, however it is not. The pattern is contained to a small circle around the toy due to the laser being stuck in one place with the toy actually rotating rather than the laser moving up down and around in random patterns. (You can get a better idea of what I mean in the video)  

The timer settings would have you believe you could leave this for a dog or cat to play with unsupervised however I would not recommend this as the plastic housing is quite short and your dog or cat could easily end up locating the source of the laser and end up looking directly into it. Also if your dog likes to chew and rough houses with their toys they would probably destroy the toy before the 20 minute cycle was over if they lost interest in chasing the laser and set upon the toy itself.

One caveat, laser pointer toys are not a good idea for dogs that get obsessive. It can be purchased for $50 from dealsdirect and takes 4 AA batteries.

DART Laser Toy

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know - Alexandra Horowitz

             

Hi I'm Raiden's human and I'm writing the review on this book as my boys are already experts on and understanding their species so they have no interest in dog books. I on the other hand love finding out more about my favourite animals on the planet.

This book is easy to read and completely enthralling. It is great to help us humans better understand our dogs. It explains how they perceive the world and provides insight into your furry friend that all dog lovers need to know. I would strongly recommend any person with a dog read it, you do not need to be huge dog fanatic like me to enjoy it. Often we humans think we are great at understanding our dogs when in reality they are probably much better at understanding us, reading this book will help bridge that gap. 

After reading this book I feel like I have a better relationship with my dogs and feel like I perhaps know them better. Sometimes we as humans overlook the simple and logical explanations especially in regards to our dogs. This book helps bring these notions to the forefront of our minds which can help enrich our relationship with our dogs.



 


 

JJ Holland park, Kensington, Victoria 3031

           

This park has a lot of facilities for the humans and large off lead areas for us to run and play. We have only been there a of couple times but both times there were a couple of other dogs there. The two fields are off lead while the synthetic field and kids playground are off limits for dogs. The off lead areas are not fenced but the roads around the fields are reasonably quiet. The fields are footy ovals but we are unsure if they are ever used for that, there is lots of room to play fetch and chase each other.      

Facilities

• Water Fountain with dog bowl
• Toilets
• Basketball hoop
• BBQ
• Bins with poo bags

Google Maps - JJ Holland Park 

 

 

 

Fawkner Park South Yarra, Victoria 3141

                  



I can easily say Fawkner Park is one of my favourites with all the beautiful trees and lush grass. All of which are holding so many new smells and stories. Although, I guess I am slightly biased because I went there almost everyday when I was a puppy! A lot of other dogs went there every evening too so I made some really good friends like Gin the Sheltie, Ginger the Miniature Poodle, Sam the Rough Collie and Princeton a Whippet. 

The park boasts a massive off leash area which is not fenced and the fringes of the park are on busy major roads. If off leash is not your thing you can definitely have a more than enjoyable walk along the tree lined paths with the grass to your left and right. The water fountain here does not have a built in dog bowl, but some kind dog loving humans have permanently left dog bowls near the fountain.  

During daylight savings on weekdays between 4.30-7.30pm is when you will find the most dogs here. Weekends can be a bit hit and miss but there is usually a few dogs around. On weekends in the Summer cricket can occupy most of the off lead area until 6 or 7pm but the soccer field is still generally unused. It is such a beautiful park and it is easy to spend a couple of hours here with friends chewing on a stick, playing a game of chase, fetch or just chilling under a tree. 

Great very large off leash area, lots of friendly dogs and humans ready to give you lots of attention. Make sure you get down there!

Facilties

• Toilets
• Water fountain
• Bins with poo bags

Google Maps - Fawkner Park

Gin, Me & Prince

You can see how big the park is , so much off leash running!

I love the sun!

Mmmmmm treats!

Some friends sharing the same stick