At first look, it is like any normal park. But as one enters, placards with dog walking rules welcome visitors. Clearly defined lanes mark areas for jogging or walking, while dogs can play in the expanse.
Members of the Sadashivnagar Residents’ Welfare Association (SRWA) took it upon themselves to rehabilitate an abandoned space into a dog park by cleaning and painting it. “We have a lot of dog owners in our community, and we did not want to rely on the BBMP for everything,” said Prema Vasanth, 73, president of the SRWA. Amazed at the response they got with the dog park, they are now planning to give another park in the area a makeover, with the support of Ugly Indians, an anonymous group of volunteers. They have invited residents to help give Sadashivnagar park a makeover on Sunday. “We had collaborated with Ugly Indians on the dog park project, and we painted it in six hours. They had publicised this initiative by putting up a post on Facebook. The response was great. One couple came all the way from Domlur to help,” said Anupama Harish, committee member (treasurer) of SWRA.
To ensure that the dog park does not revert to its original shape, the RWA members and residents are voluntarily keeping a vigil and asking passersby to refrain from dumping garbage. “We can only talk to them, educate them and sometimes embarrass them for their actions,” said Chaitra Mukund, association secretary.
