MONTREAL -- Plans for a new park reserved for man's best friend have been approved in Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough.
In the spring of 2021, part of the empty lot beside the baseball field in Parc d'Argenson, in the Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood, will be turned into a dog park.
Steps away from the Lachine Canal and the Atwater Market, the new park will serve dog owners who reside somewhere between the two that are already in place in the borough -- one on Saint-Patrick Street and the other, on Saint-Ferdinand.
A Change.org petition in favour of turning the empty space in Parc d'Argenson into a dog park from over a year ago received support from 4,532 people -- and in 2019, its author claimed victory -- but nothing online suggested that a plan was officially in the works.
Sud-Ouest Mayor Benoit Dorais' chief of staff, Julie Belanger, confirmed on Thursday that the plans have been approved and that construction will begin when the ground defrosts in the spring.
In the meantime, dog owners must respect public park rules that state that all dogs must be kept on leashes at all times.
