Downtown dogs now have a new place to socialize -- and they can do it off-leash.

An off-leash dog park was officially opened today at Bonnycastle Park on Assiniboine Avenue.

As a dog owner, and in terms of downtown revitalization, mayor Brian Bowman calls it a major step forward.

"The downtown off-leash dog park is intended to help build strong community ties by fostering social opportunities for dogs and people, encourage downtown living, help make dog ownership in downtown more accessible, create a designated space for dogs to safely exercise and play with other dogs, and provide an amenity to attract people to our city's core," he said at the official opening this morning.

Bowman joked about the time it took to get the park open.

"As you can see from our canine friends, it's been a ruff wait for some, and it must have felt like furever, but the paws made today possible. I'll stop," Bowman had his family dog by his side, but it's unclear if Indiana appreciated the punny line.

The downtown off-leash dog park was a campaign commitment by Bowman. He says he would've liked it to open sooner but there was a process that needed to be followed, as well as consultation.

"I'm glad (the process) happened," said Bowman. "And I want to thank everybody involved. I don't think the dogs will mind, I don't think -- they may not be aware of the wait -- we are acutely aware of it at City Hall. I'm just looking forward to being able to have this amenity available for downtown residents now."

Mitch Dunphy and XenaA handful of dogs and their human companions were on hand to try out the park right away. Mitch Dunphy, who lives in the area, came with his dog Xena. He says he's ecstatic about the park and Xena's an "11 out of 10" over it.

The fully-fenced, 0.12 hectare area includes artificial turf designed specifically for dogs; existing trees and park elements were incorporated into the design and additional trees and shrubs were added.