Dog Parks may seem like a simple concept. However, they are far more complex than putting a chain-mesh fence around a vacant piece of land. The recent article “Restrictions on Popular Park” in The Courier (Newspaper of the Adelaide Hills, Wednesday, 16 October, 2013) highlights some of the issues that the Adelaide Hills Council

Fiona De Rosa and her dog EB from Balancing Act Adelaide are featured in the recent edition of Dogs Life Magazine – the edition with X Factor’s Luke Jacobz on the cover. The article “Don’t Fence me In” written by Caroline Zambrano focuses on Australia cities  and the public and private spaces accommodating our pets.

                            How are Dog Parks being designed in Victoria? Over the last few days, Balancing Act Adelaide: Pet Friendly Planning had the opportunity to visit two off-leash dog parks in the City of Whittlesea, Victoria: Dog Park at Lynadarum Wetlands, Manor House

Identifying the physical elements of a dog park e.g. fencing, entry/exit gates, water bowls, doggie dispensers, benches etc – That’s the easy stuff. The missing element is understanding the relationships between the physical park elements and the social and behavioral patterns of dogs. This is an essential component for a successful dog park, and this

How to care for your pets in hot weather? About two weeks ago I received an email from a client about a workplace policy “Dogs and Hot Weather Policy for workers” that cares for its workers and the workers animals. Here’s the email. Hi Fiona I came into work this morning and found an email

In a recent article, Dr Kersti Seksel highlights that: “dog parks can be very challenging environments for dogs. Although it appears to us, as people, that dog parks are great, this is not the case for every dog … Every dog has different play styles, social skills and experiences around other dogs. In addition, many

Urban planning and design has traditionally focused on the human need. However, a new urban resident is emerging – man’s and women’s best friend, which we need to accommodate. With the rate of pet ownership being one of the highest in the world with almost 36% of Australian households owning a dog (Australian Companion Animal

Did you know that Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with almost two in every three homes having a companion animal? Pets are an important part of our everyday lives and research shows that pets are good for us. People with dogs are more active than those without;