Belfast dog days return as public makes city paw-ceptions known

Does Northern Ireland's capital remind you of a friendly golden retriever?

If the city of Belfast was a dog it could be a rottweiler, a spaniel, a pitbull or a collie.

That is according to responses to a public consultation on a new £100m tourism project in the city.

The Belfast Stories project is due to open in a listed Art Deco former bank building in the city centre in 2028.

Belfast City Council (BCC) has carried out a public consultation on what Belfast stories should be included and also people's perceptions of the city.

A range of documents summarising responses to the consultation have just been published and will be discussed by councillors on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee on Wednesday.

The consultation included interviews with over 680 people carried out in September, October and November 2022.

"If Belfast was a dog, what would it be and why?" was one of the questions asked to test how people in Belfast perceived the city.

"Belfast is like a spaniel - fun with lots of energy"

Some of the responses are included in the 77-page report on the public consultation into Belfast Stories.

"Regardless of the dog breeds respondents chose, the answers to the second half of the question gave valuable insight into which characteristics they associated with a Belfast identity," the consultation report said.

One of those interviewed said Belfast was like "a spaniel because they're fun and have a lot of energy".

"A pitbull because it's busy and fast," another said.

"A collie because it's energetic and doesn't stop," was another response.

Is it "a lovable mutt" of a city?

Other interviewees felt Belfast was a welcoming, friendly and warm city and said it resembled dog breeds like a golden retriever or border collie.

"It would be a loveable mutt because there are so many different backgrounds and communities within Belfast, to describe it as one breed would be highly inaccurate," one interviewee said.

"When people aren't thinking about their differences, they come together, it's a lovely place to be," they continued.

However, while a majority of interviewees described the city as friendly, others talked about its hostility and compared that to dogs like "a rottweiler because people here can be a bit aggressive".

There also were questions about people's first memories of Belfast and what their favourite places in the city are

Only a small number of people "were downright negative about the city and used words such as ugly, unloved and dead to depict Belfast", the consultation report said.

"Walking about the city centre and seeing all the crumbling empty buildings, I think it might be a chihuahua or jack russell in need of medical treatment from an owner that hasn't given it enough attention over the last few years," one interviewee said.

"A scabby dead dog left on the side of the road because there's nothing here and it's a dead city," was another answer.

Others took a more surreal approach to the question.

"A hot dog because they are little bit greasy but they absolutely serve a purpose and everyone secretly does love it. If you really wanna be gourmet about a hot dog I guess you can be but I think it's kind of more a food of the people," was one response.

Other questions were asked about people's first memories of Belfast, the "most Belfast thing you've ever heard or seen" and what people's favourite places in the city are.

In the wider consultation, the majority of people said they were excited about Belfast Stories.

But some people expressed concerns including the potential cost of visiting the attraction, or that it might be "politically partisan".

Further public consultation will be carried out by Belfast City Council as the project develops.