DOGS could soon be wagging their tails at a specially created adventure park on the outskirts of Pencaitland.

Dog activity parks and sensory gardens could be created as part of the proposals for Spilmersford Mains Farm, to the east of the village.

A 12-acre section of land, north of the A6093, could be transformed specially for man’s best friend.

Business documents are included in the planning application, which is being weighed up by East Lothian Council’s planning department.

It reads: “After lengthy research in the dog industry (dog daycare, dog walking and adventure parks in particular) we have assessed this to be a viable business in this location.

“What we want to do is provide a quality product in a good location that we think addresses a need that isn’t currently well served locally.

“Our customers will be a mixture of professional dog walkers and dog trainers using the adventure fields for both exercise and training with their client base. We also expect to welcome the dog-owning general public who are seeking a private and secure space to let their dog off the lead whilst also benefiting from an enriching experience within the sensory and agility zones in each field.

“After opening, we envisage eventually moving to a membership based access system and have hopefully successfully built a community of like-minded users.

“All owners and dogs will be met for a compulsory induction session, where certificates of vaccinations (or titer tests) will be required and recorded with reminders sent out when they expire.”

Gordon Hood, of The Hood Partnership, is behind the plans, which will offer a range of services.

The proposals outline being able to privately hire one of the three adventure fields, with each session lasting 50 minutes.

Socialisation sessions would also take place at the weekend initially and are aimed at owners looking to socialise their dogs off the lead, as well as the possibility of dog training sessions.

The plans state: “Will be staffed initially by Gordon Hood (applicant) with the potential for further employment opportunities further down the line depending on the business growth.

“Gordon has undergone training at Safe Paws (Stirling) with Shirley MacMillan who has been in the dog industry since 2002 and is widely respected as a leading dog trainer and government advisor on best working practises in the industry.”

Expert advice has also been taken in terms of the design of any adventure park.

The document notes: “After much research in this area we have settled on a similar design in each field with dog agility equipment prevalent to allow dogs to improve their sense of balance and improve their strength and fitness.

“Effectively designed much like a children’s adventure playground, the parks are designed to stimulate the dogs mentally and physically.

“The sensory ‘sniff’ gardens are packed full of natural smells and textures that help reduce a dog’s stress and anxiety.

“They will be enclosed within a wooden fence akin to the example below and feature a field shelter and picnic table for customers to relax and enjoy their surroundings while their dog plays.

“The agility zone is full of balancing equipment and a range of platforms to allow dogs to climb, explore and use up some of their stored up energy.”