Dog-friendly improvements in Józsefváros in 2021

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In 2021 the Józsefváros Management Centre (JGK Zrt) and the Józsefváros Office of Community Participation paid special attention to the improvement of dog-friendly infrastructure in the district including the development of local dog-friendly options and communities. Please read our report.

Józsefváros Municipality is dog-friendly

October 4 is World Animal Day. To honor it, the Mayor’s Office of Józsefváros Municipality in Baross utca  became dog-friendly in 2021.Before the office became dog-friendly, a survey had been made among the staff recommended by kutyabarat.hu. The Office of Community Participation asked their opinion about making the building dog-friendly and what criteria they thought should be met. The survey showed most officers were either happy with or accepted the idea of a dog-friendly office. The staff’s needs were considered as top priority as the rules relating to dogs were set out so that no inconvenience should be caused. We are happy to report that the dogs of both staff members and clients have been regularly visiting the building ever since. If you take your dog with you when visiting us, please, do not forget the dog’s vaccination booklet, as you are expected to show it on entry.

Development of the dog park at Teleki tér

In July 2021 JGK and the Józsefváros Office of Community Participation asked the opinion of regular users of the big dog park at Teleki tér about a dog sandpit and other long-term developments planned for the area. On four occasions, over thirty thousand people completed a questionnaire of needs assessment. They also made proposals and commented on the development plans.

Based on dog owners feedback, to solve the problem of the pit, a box of soil has been placed in the dog park. Also, spades and rakes have been provided in the nearby guard hut users of the park can borrow to level the ground after their pets’ ‘landscape architecture’.

Pass gates have been installed for entry from the side of the rails, so access has become safer for everyone.

The fence has been repaired to prevent pets escaping, and a double gate has been installed to make maintenance easier for JGK staff. A part of the flat area opposite the entrance will be protected with shading to reduce sunshine, so the dog park can be used comfortably also in daytime.Learning from the experience of past heat waves, we started to think about how to improve the supply of water in the dog park. Some respondents to the questionnaire noted the drinking fountain wastes water and is not suitable for dogs. Instead of replacing the tap, a restrictor will be placed inside the drain to make it suitable for pets while it’ll also prevent the proliferation of algae. A tap can be set up in the small dog park in 2022.

Users of the dog park can borrow mobile agility toys available at the guard hut at Teleki tér. The same holds for the dog park at Golgota tér.

Testing soil types at Kálvária tér

Degraded, sandy soil is often sadly seen in the dog parks of Józsefváros. However, full-scale soil improvement is a long and costly process involving the closing down of a dog park at least temporarily. JGK is currently testing different soil types in the district. We are trying to find the soil meeting as many different criteria as possible. It should be cost-effective, easy to clean, long lasting and comfortable for our pets. Part of the big dog park at Kálvária tér was fenced off in November 2021. JGK started testing four soil types (sand, gravel, mulch and special lawn) in December so that utilizing the experience of dog park users full-scale soil development could be started in the whole area in autumn 2022.Users of the dog park at Kálvária tér can gain experience about the different soils. JGK staff are looking at the disadvantages of the different types from the aspect of maintenance. The purpose of the testing is to find a long-term, sustainable solution meeting the needs of the users of dog parks in Józsefváros. Once we have succeeded to lay the best possible soil there, we hope to develop the soils of other dog parks in the district faster and more efficiently.

Full scale maintenance operations in district dog parks

In addition to cleaning and disinfecting the dog parks in the district, JGK staff also carried out maintenance tasks last year. The facilities of dog parks were developed at Kálvária tér, in Leonardo da Vinci köz, at Szenes Iván and Golgota tér, in Stróbl Alajos utca and at Brunszvik Júlia tér. The objective of the Municipality is to prevent the signs of neglect in the existing closed areas, so small interventions are made to improve the usability of dog parks. During maintenance, double gates or, if possible, pass gates are to be installed to make regular disinfection easier. Worn-out parts of the fences and barriers are regularly repaired, the soil of sand pits is replaced. Wherever it is possible, the area of dog parks is enlarged, benches, new wastebins and dog toys are installed.

Support to active dog-owner communities

Since Józsefváros is densely built up, large-scale dog-friendly green developments can hardly be implemented. Our top priority is to make the existing places more convenient as dog parks and to maintain their proper state. Regular users of the dog parks are our partners in needs assessment and regular care. For this purpose the Application Józsefváros can be used to make reports relating to the dog parks. The reports are directly received by JGK Zrt.

Supported by the Office of Community Participation, an active community of dog owners has come into being at II János Pál Pápa tér recently. They have initiated and participated in several campaigns promoting dog owners’ responsible behavior and conflict-free use of the dog parks in the district. Among others, kutyabarat.hu helped place dog-park etiquettes in English and Hungarian on the fences of all dog parks in the district.Another of their initiative is the campaign “Pick it up”. Notices are placed at different points of the district encouraging people to pick up dog-turd.

The active community of dog owners and the Office of Community Participation is also calling dog owners’ attention to clean up after their pets by placing the notice boards of kutyabarat.hu displaying the text “The Poop Fairy does not exist”.

District residents receive 100 dog-dirt collection bags free-of-charge every month if they can show their address cards. You can get them at the Infopoint at Kálvária tér (brown log-hut) every day between 07.00-09.00; 12.00-14.00 and 17.00-19.00 hours.

In 2021 residents asked for and personally received dog-dirt collection bags on 1300 occasions while 147,700 bags were distributed in the parks of Józsefváros.

The Office of Community Participation launched its news bulletin for dog-owners regularly informing over 100 registered users about dog-related events, news and useful tips in the district.

You can register for the news bulletin at the link: http://bit.ly/8ker-kutya-hirlevel

Collaboration with ZöldEb Kutyás Érdekvédelmi Egyesület (Dog-owners’ Interest Protection Association ‘GreenDog’)

To develop the district and to promote responsible dog ownership in the city, Józsefváros Municipality concluded a collaboration agreement with ZöldEb Kutyás Érdekvédelmi Egyesület.

The Association took part in the Magdolna-Orcy Negyed Program in 2020 and 2021 during which several popular and useful campaigns were carried out including information campaigns for the population, free training sessions, assisting consultation processes, organizing community programs as well as joint patrols with the staff of Józsefváros Public Supervision.

The purpose of the collaboration agreement concluded with the Association is to provide district residents with education related to responsible pet ownership, to create the proper conditions of high-standard dog ownership in the public places of the district, and to popularize and promote civilized pet ownership considering the interests of dog owners and other district residents equally and involving them in decision making.The Association also helps the Municipality build connections with the dog owners in the district. It makes proposals for the proper development of dog parks, takes part in needs assessment and assists the Municipality to arrange and manage its planned programs.

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