Presidents Park Dog Off Leash Area (Wyndham Vale)

Fifty metres east of Presidents Park playground and Skatepark is the dog off leash area which is a huge flat grassy area which stretches as far east as the Werribee River. There is a walking track beside the bank of the river and the river area itself is a not an off leash area. The open area only has a few mature trees but a huge number of trees have been planted and the whole area will have a less barren feel in the years ahead.

On the south side there are a few rubbish bins, especially near an area for the Werribee Obedience Dog Club. The supports for a bridge along Heaths Road on the south side of the park has a legal graffiti area which is just outside the off leash area. There was very little in the way of interesting art work when we visited and I think your dog will appreciate it even less.

There are a few concrete paths running through the park and at the extreme east end is a fenced dog park.

A highlight of the park is a large lake where dogs can have a swim or paddle in the shallower water along the edge. There are usually water birds on the lake and you may have some issues if your dog locks onto one of the birds and tries to relentlessly follow it. We wrote the following narrative after such an incident when we visited.

I come across a lot of things in my travels - today it was a case of "Stuck on a Lake without a Leash"

Presidents Park in Wyndham has a huge dog off leash area with a correspondingly large lake. This morning this lake had a dog swimming back and forth in the middle trying to catch one of the water birds. The owner was frantically calling for the dog to come back to shore. Alas to no avail.

The dog kept paddling back and forth along the lake trying to catch an elusive bird. As soon as the dog got reasonably close the birds would take off and land at the other end of the lake and the dog would relentlesly follow.

The owner was getting well and truly frustrated and other people helped in trying to convince the dog to come back to terra firma. I'm a helpful type of person and I started to call the dogs name. Chloe, Chloe, come here ... The calls of a stranger had no impact on the dogs trajectory across the lake. It was at that point I realised the dog was called Howie and not Chloe and could understand why the dog was not responding to my calls. I then tried all my other tactics which work for our dog such as calling out TREATS, DINNER but the dog was after duck meat for lunch and not boring dried food.

The dog following the birds went on and on and the birds always stayed safely ahead of the dog. The owner must have wished she had taken the dog to puppy school. Not to learn how to obey the owner but to learn the meaning of FUTILE.

Then the owner of the dog decided she had to take drastic action and started swimming after the dog. It was like a long conga line in the water with the bird swiming at the front, followed by the dog patiently dog paddling behind just out of reach, who was followed by the owner, who couldn't maintain speed to catch up with the dog. The owner gave up in disgust and climbed bedraggled out of the water.

That raises the interesting question - How long can a dog paddle after a bird in a lake before he gives up and comes back to shore. I know a person who can answer that question - the owner of this dogged and persistent pooch. However, I had things to do and places to go and couldn't stay any longer. I probably will never know the answer to that question even though it is burning in my head.

I'm sure one day the owner of this dog will look back on this experience and have a laugh about it. However, I don't think that day is today.

Photos:

Location

363 McGrath Road, Wyndham Vale 3024 Map