Barrhead: James Carswell expands Off The Lead dog park

James Carswell set up Off the Lead Dog Park near Balgraystone Road, next to the Dams to Darnley Country Park, in 2020.

To meet demand, a second park – called Skye – was launched last September.

The space is roughly 50% bigger than the first park, which is named after Harris, his beloved fox red labrador.

“People were asking for one that was a bit bigger because some have bigger dogs,” said James, whose family owns farmland around the country park.

“It allows for a larger area to run and stretch their legs, whereas with the other space you can get across it quite quickly, so it’s more suited to smaller dogs.”

James has opened a second park called Skye

Dog owners or dog walkers have exclusive use of their chosen park for the duration of their slot, which costs £6 for half an hour.

Both spaces are equipped with picnic benches and shelters and surrounded by six-feet-high fences with wire dug into the ground to ensure no furry friends can get over or under.

The free run allows pets to burn off energy before perhaps enjoying an ‘on the lead’ walk at the country park.

James, 26, added: “We had seen our neighbours having bother with sheep attacks from dogs.

“We opened just after the lockdowns, in June 2020, and dog ownership at that time was starting to go up, so it also gave people somewhere to train them without having to worry about them running away.

“Certain breeds are more prone to this. A beagle is a good example. You can really struggle to train them not to run away if they grab a scent, so our parks are ideal.

“A lot of people also have nervous and reactive dogs and they use it because they know their dog is fine on its own but sometimes can be reactive around other dogs.”

James with Labrador Harris

James is pleased to see the venture go from strength to strength and is sniffing out options for further expansion.

“Some of the feedback we have had before mentioned that we don’t have our own car park,” he said. “People use the public car park for the country park and there is a small walk to the gate.

“It’s not a massive walk but, for people who have got reactive dogs, it adds a bit of stress, so we’re looking at putting in a drive-in park which people can book and then drive their car straight to.”

James is offering a 10% discount until the end of March to Barrhead News readers who use the code ‘Barrhead10’ when making a booking.

To give feedback on the parks, find out more or to secure a spot, visit offtheleaddogpark.co.uk or go to the ‘Off the Lead Dog Park’ page on Facebook.