There’s no room for dogs on the Isle of Dogs

What was once a place of pup sanctuary, is now a human infested concrete jungle. The lack of education on dog needs and dog behaviour is real – Canary Wharf once prioritised hounds over humans, but now, dogs are either something to be feared or an inconvenience that ‘just get in the way’.

The Isle of Dogs refers to a large peninsula in East London. Canary Wharf, Cubit Town and Millwall are each bordered by the River Thames and are home to over 40,000 residents. In the early years of the 16th Century, the half- island was given it’s name, the ‘Isle of Dogs’, after King Henry VIII dedicated the land to his hunting dogs.

The reigning monarch would house his dogs on the peninsula, and would give them a good run around the Isle. There are many antique water fountains that can be spotted in Canary Wharf, while they were in a working order, each one provided a cold beverage to the dogs.

Fast-forward five centuries later, in the early years of the 21st Century, the Isle of Dogs, has neglected its past dedication to canines.

Meet Ralph, an 18-month-old Border Collie who lives on Cuba Street in Canary Wharf. Ralphs’ favourite game is agility, and once a week he has to travel over 30 minutes to reach his training club.

As a Collie, bred from a working line, he uses his intellect and loyalty as he follows the commands of his owner around the course. Collie’s need at least 90 minutes of exercise per day – this can include cognitive exercises that will mentally stimulate and tire him out.

Aspiring dog behaviourist and dog walker Alexandra Rain, told me: “It is a big misconception that exercising a dog is just a physical process. Remember, 15 minutes of mental exercise is the equivalent to 45 minutes of physical exercise when it comes to tiring your dog!”

However, all Canary Wharf has to offer this pup, is three pieces of rusty equipment and a small enclosed patch of “grass”. Around 20 meters long and 10 meters wide, stands the largest ‘Dog Exercise Area’ in Canary Wharf.

“It is so important to prevent boredom on walks. When they can anticipate their walk, dogs will go into auto-pilot mode and will stop exploring their environment.

This can cause an increase in reactivity, cause recall to worsen and ultimately leads to a dog who still requires exercise. This may consequently lead to unwanted behaviours, such as attention seeking, hyperactivity, destructive behaviours, or even a result of depression.”

This area is situated, side by side with the rest of Sir John McDougall Gardens – a field of around 80m wide and 40m long, in addiction to two child playground/park and adult gym areas.

The open space is completely wasted, with the playground and gym areas also being empty – due to children and adults attending work and school.

Ironically, given the ratio of space allocated to them, dogs populate the area five days a week, during the early morning to late afternoons.

This is Stanley (left), a three-year-old Lurcher who lives by South Quay DLR station.

As a sight hound, his favourite game to play is chase. A Lurcher is a mix of three or more site hounds, for example, a Whippet, Deer Hound and/or Greyhound.

Most Lurchers only need about 40 minutes of exercise per day – however, they need a big surface area to do it in.

Lurchers run, on average at 40 mph, so a 10mX20m ‘Exercise Area’ will not cut it.

Every day, Stanley is forced to leave his local area and neighboured dogs, as he makes a 20-minute trek to Mudchute Farm, just to get a sufficient walk in a slightly larger area.

I’d like to introduce you to Franco, he was the fastest local dog that I had the pleasure to meet. Franco is 18 months old and resides in a flat in Canary Wharf.

Franco, or better known as Frank, is a Whippet – Whippets are sleepy, cuddly, and extremely warm blooded. However, Frank will not relax unless he has had an hours walk at least.

Like Stanley, his favourite game is chase, and needs a large space to enjoy a good run. Similar to many dogs living in the Isle of Dogs,

Franco and his owners rely on the outdoor space for his exercise – which only emphasises the need for new and improved designated areas for dogs.

Alexandra informed me that, “If site-hounds’ don’t have a space where they can run fast, they risk cardiovascular disease”.

Not only was the area dedicated to dogs in Canary Wharf already many metres too small, but since ownership of dogs has increased since Covid hit in 2020, the area for dogs has become more populated than ever before – making the space even smaller for pups and their walks.

In March 2021, BBC News reported that, “A total of 3.2 million households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic”.

During lockdown, to pass the time and while working at home, it is understandable why many people made the decision to get a dog.

On the other hand, it is incomprehensible that an education surrounding the needs and behaviour of dogs has not risen. With the correct amount of knowledge surrounding canines, one would never have created such a small dog friendly area.

Alexandra Rain emphasises: “Understanding how a dog communicates is the first most crucial step to forming a trusting two-way relationship with your dog. Dogs are sentient beings, but they do not feel secondary emotions such as blame and guilt.”

This is Cara, the biggest but most gentle dog that I have met on the Isle. Cara is 18 months old, a playful puppy who’s favourite game is tug, but unfortunately, she is avoided by most.

When Cara is in the play area, the space is avoided due to again, a lack of education surrounding dogs. Cara is an Alsatian, a German Shepherd to be exact – this only makes her loyal, intelligent and one of the most obedient dog breeds.

Depicted as the stereotypical police dog, German Shepherds are often feared by members of the public, leaving Cara to be in danger of anxiety from little-to-no interaction with humans and other dogs. Cara wears a collar that reads ‘Friendly’ to encourage others to come and play.

“If a dog becomes reactive, they usually need distance from the other dog. If they don’t have this, they will become even more anxious – this is what leads to people being afraid of dogs”, Alexandra Rain told me.

Recently, there has been an increase of purchases of ‘colour-coded collars’. Due to the stereotypes attached to certain breeds, many dog owners have taken to the use of collars and leads of a certain colour to warn owners of their dogs boundaries.

These include red for “caution”, yellow for “nervous” and purple for “no feeding”. On the contrary, in order for these collars to be effective, awareness of their meaning needs to rise. You can find out more colours and their meanings here.

To improve the space for dogs on the Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets Council must grow their education surrounding canines and with that, include factors such as, signs that inform owners on coloured-collars and how to use the equipment provided.

But most importantly, the council must increase the amount of space given to those who use and appreciate it most.

All photos, unless stated, are taken by Danielle Dunnet.