Dog parks are a community’s best friend

During the deepest, coldest part of this winter, when the windchill plummeted below -40 Celsius and any amount of time spent outdoors risked the real danger of frostbite and much worse, a hero emerged. A local mall tweeted that it was opening its doors to the city’s pent up pooches and their owners to use its posh, polished hallways to walk their dogs.

It was a hit! The announcement was met with wild enthusiasm and pretty soon the mall was overrun by fur babies and their humans. Maybe it was too much of a hit, as the mall meekly tried to walk back its open door policy tweet. But it was too late, as for the next few days until the cold snap snapped, dogs held court at the food court.

This episode just serves to illustrate the importance of pet-friendly amenities in the city, and Calgary has a ton of them. The city has 150 public off-leash areas. Only problem is they are all outdoors, but they do get busy in the warmer months.

We explore some of those off-leash parks in this issue, and where best to take your four-legged buddy on walks. Dog parks have become such an important part of our lives that more newly developed communities are including this amenity in their overall design. It has become almost as important as tot lots and playgrounds.

Even homes are becoming more pet-friendly, take for instance our cover feature on Precedence Street Towns by Trico Homes. The luxury vinyl plank flooring it offers as a standard is a sturdy, stylish solution especially for dog-loving families.

Precedence is very aptly named as it sets off what looks to be a busy spring with more show homes and new communities set to open in Calgary over the following months. Follow us on Instagram (@nexthome_calgary) where you can get the latest events, or pop by here next month where we’ll tell you all about it.