I’m definitely a dog person, but my current commuter lifestyle (living in one city and working in another) means having a canine companion just isn’t an option for me right now. Fortunately, I have friends who are happy to loan their dogs out on occasion, and even if a borrowed pup is not available, there’s always Malmö’s Hundrastplats (dog park) to fall back on.

Hundrastplats is a large expanse of green space at the very start of Ribersborgs Strand, bordered by the canal that leads to the Western Harbour marina in the B01 neighbourhood and extending nearly all the way to the access point for Ribersborgs Kallbadhus. Here, dogs of all sizes are permitted to run free, off-leash, to their hearts’ content, something I had never experienced prior to moving here.

Because pet ownership is taken very seriously in Sweden, puppies are typically socialised for encounters with other dogs and people in this kind of setting, so everybody is remarkably well-behaved, if not a bit exuberant! There’s a permanent canine agility course set up for those who want to provide their pets with a more “formal” form of exercise, and there’s also a dedicated stretch of shoreline access (hundbadet) for dogs to enjoy a swim.

This makes Hundrastplats a popular place year-round for dog owners who want to let their furry friends cut loose and burn off some energy, and for non-dog owners like me who can’t resist a spontaneous game of fetch or a quick scratch around the ears.