It might sometimes seem difficult to get off the couch and take your dog for a run, but chances are there is a dog park not too far from home.
At least 12 dog parks are scattered around Launceston and all are within seven kilometres of the CBD.
The inner suburbs are well represented as well with Newstead, South Launceston, St Leonards, Newnham, Rocherlea, Mowbray, Sandhill, Prospect and Prospect Vale all presenting opportunities for dog owners to let their dogs run free.
Former RSPCA chief, and chief vet, Dr Andrew Byrne said taking your dog out of the house provided immeasurable advantages to both the owner and the dog alike.
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"They just love it," he said.
"It enables you to have a better relationship with your dog, it's an opportunity for obedience training and it enables them to socialise."
Dr Byrne said dogs also got a physical and mental health benefit from going on walks, and particularly when they were able to run free.
"You can see it when you're there, and they're a better dog afterwards," he said.
"And there's the physical health aspect; they probably wont lose weight - the owner might - but it's a case of use it or lose it.
"No matter how old they are they need to keep their joints moving."
Here are the options for Launceston locals to take their four-legged friends:
Hoblers Bridge Dog Park
Hoblers Bridge is an inner-city haven for dog lovers.
Just off Hoblers Bridge Road in Newstead, it is only three kilometres from Brisbane Street Mall and offers pooches the chance to swim in the North Esk River, which it backs onto.
There is a fenced off area there as well as the option to take your dog on leashed walk around the grounds.
St Leonards Dog Park
While this dog park is a little further from the city, about seven kilometres from the CBD, the trip is worth the effort.
If your dog loves a dip this is the perfect spot. Pooches can frolic in the calm stream that runs through the entirety of the park, and it offers a place for owners to dip their feet as well.
Outside of the fenced dog area, the park itself has just about everything.
There are picnic facilities, opportunities for fishing and swimming, a BBQ and play equipment for kids - there was even a seal spotted there in January last year.
Lawrence Vale Road Reserve and Dog Park
Sometimes the options does not present to bundle your dog up in the car and race them to the biggest and best dog parks in Launceston, but that's why there are places like Lawrence Vale Road Dog Park.
Tucked in next to a larger reserve, dog owners still have the chance to let their pet run free in a fenced off area.
Coronation Park
Recently renovated Coronation Park is the perfect spot for a dog that is a little more social, and a lot more playful.
The park was upgrade in 2019 to include tunnels, logs and poles for pets to run through and around and has been a hive for the local pooches ever since.
There have even been regularly organised doggy blind dates at Coronation Park.
Hardwicke Street Reserve
Ask a dog owner where to take your pet and many will recommend Hardwicke Street.
There are two large fenced off areas at the Summerhill Reserve where your pooch can explore a wooded shrub land with creeks and large pons, or a grassed section for the dogs that loved bounding along after a bouncing ball.
While pets will have to be leashed for part of the walk, the reserve is linked to the iconic Duck Reach Power Station via unsealed trails.
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The extensive Heritage Forest Dog area is part of a huge Invermay park that offers the public running tracks, play equipment, a bike track and a community garden.
But the dog area itself is as accommodating as any in Tasmania. There are separate areas for vulnerable dogs and it is home to Australia's first dedicated off-leash area for greyhounds after Launceston councillor and RSPCA Tasmania representative Andrea Dawkins proposed the idea in 2019.
Waverley Lake Park
Although Waverley Lake Park is further out than some of the other dog parks on this list, there is good reason.
Waverley Lake itself is a large fishing lake for anglers under 16 and is home to the Rotary Club of Youngtown's annual Soggy Bottom Cardboard Box Boat Regatta.
The dog area itself is not fenced, but there are ample safe spaces for dogs to run free of their leash.
The park also has a toilet, BBQ and picnic tables offering the opportunity to make a real day of taking your dog to the park.
Pitcher Parade Dog Park
This little known dog park does not show up on the radar of many but offers the people of Prospect Vale and the outer Western suburbs a close, fenced-in park at which their dogs can bound free of a leash.
Rocherlea Recreation Ground
The furthest north park on this list, the Rocherlea Recreation Ground offers almost boundless grounds upon which dogs can run.
There are both fenced, off-leash and on-leash areas available at the ground.
Barnard's Creek, fed from tiny tendrils flowing from Tamar and North Esk rivers, is a short walk from Rocherlea Oval off Archer Street.
Arbour Park
This small inner suburbs spot is another that gives dog owners the chance to take a quick walk and give their dogs some much needed energy without having to bring a packed lunch.
Nestled in among the houses of West Launceston, near Cataract Gorge, the park is understated but provides an unfenced off-leash area.
Newnham Reserve
Not far from Rocherlea, Newnham Reserve is tucked in behind a bunch of Newnham houses and is frequented, in large part, by local pooches.
It is a small park and can be easily missed, but provides an option for Northern suburbs dogs to stretch their legs not far from their home.
Old Mac's Farm
While it might not be a dog park, per se, Old Mac's Farm in Norwood is open to the public and their pet.
The farm has a host of animals from swans, to donkeys, to alpacas and sheep.
While the farm is actually a caravan park, everyone is welcome to enjoy the surrounds and picturesque lake at the centre.
It is also possible, without the accompaniment of a pet, to head into the animal pens to feed to locals.
Farm owner Ian Mackie said he opened up Old Macs to the public just for another option.
"We've got about 90 acres here and we're nice and close to town," he said.
"We try and keep it family oriented and people can come and take their dog, go for a walk around the walking tracks, sit down and have a picnic or eat at the restaurant."
He said quite a lot of locals brought their dog for a walk around the farm which also doubles as a caravan and camping spot that also allow dogs.
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