Famous dog fountain getting a major refresh this winter in Toronto

A famous Toronto dog fountain will get some love this winter.

The Berczy Park Dog Fountain at 35 Wellington St. E., just east of Yonge Street, will have its sculptures refurbished over the winter, a City of Toronto spokesperson told INsauga.com.

Berczy Park first opened in 1980 with a regular concrete fountain in a circular courtyard. In 2015, it closed and landscape architect Claude Cormier of Montreal created the redesign with the now popular dog fountain.

The whimsical three-tier fountain features 27 cast-iron statues of dogs and a cat. The dogs look up at a large bone perched on the fountain’s peak. While the cat looks north at statues of two small birds perched on the arm of a lamp post. It officially reopened in May 2017.

Some of the dogs have seen some wear and tear over the years. Photo: Chris Woodrich

Unfortunately, the dogs and cat have seen some wear and tear over the years.

The sculptures will be removed, repaired and repainted this winter and reinstalled in the spring, the city spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the city is in the process of securing a vendor and will have a better understanding of timelines once that is settled.

The Friends of Berczy Park welcomed the news.

“Need some good news? We are told the City plans to repair and restore the Berczy dog sculptures this winter,” the group posted on Instagram. “That’s howling good news!”

The Friends of Berczy Park’s drop-in summer knitting group has been dressing the fountain dogs with festive wool scarves every Christmas season for seven years.

 

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Lead photo: daryl_mitchell