Dogs in the city

The different kinds of activities that happen in parks sometimes conflict – people reading books get upset by the kids playing soccer; bike riders cause angst to strollers, and so forth – but usually these conflicts can be sorted out so that all reasonable park users can find a comfortable placed. It’s the same with dogs in parks: dogs and people in parks sometimes conflict, but new approaches can help minimize those unfortunate events, to everyone’s benefit.

Well-controlled dogs – that adjective is critical - and dog walkers create a more friendly city. When people get a dog they begin to realize how many of their neighbours they had never met before, and how little they had actually walked around their own neighbourhood to see what’s there. Dog owners are forced by their pet to be on the street two or three times a day, and that in itself creates a good sense of neighbourhood. Eyes and dogs on the street, to paraphrase Jane Jacobs, increase the sense of security.

The presence of dog walkers also add a significant level of security to parks for all park users. Most dog owners are religious about picking up after their pets and they are often seen picking up other droppings as well as litter, beer bottles left behind by teenagers the night before, and random pop cans.

Better yet, dog walking is good for your health. We’re all better off walking the two or three miles a day that active dogs demand, and chatting with other owners, the name of whose dogs we know if not their own names.

But a dog that is out-of-control puts an end to these benefits in an instant. An out-of-control dog can create much fear, just as an out-of-control dog owner can leave behind a good mess.

The current city by-law requires, except for a very few areas, that if you have a dog in the city then it must be leased. There are a few leash-free areas in the city, but most are allocated to inaccessible parts of ravines where it would be foolish to try to walk through the underbrush let alone walk a dog. In any case, dogs have no interest in being there – they want to be with other dogs, and they want the exercise of running free.

Most dogs need lots of running, and that can’t be done on the leash. Realizing that parks belong to and should be sued by all of us, how can one sort out things out so dogs can run free and people can still be assured they won’t be harassed?

Here's an action strategy:

1. After good neighbourhood consultation, decisions should be made about what sections of which parks should be leash-free areas, and whether some sections should be specified by time of day.

Many dog owners think it makes sense to allow portions of some larger parks to be leash-free, and that in some places time limits should be established. For instance, between 6 am and 9 am there are few people in most parks, save for joggers, whose interests should also be taken into account although as regular users joggers are usually familiar with areas where dog walkers can be found. Of course, those times are not appropriate for all dog walkers, and limiting times limits the added security that dogs and dog walkers bring.

But the key issues to decide are times and areas.

2. Leash free zones should not be established near a children’s playground, and/or such playgrounds should be well fenced to ensure dogs do not use them. Some parks will be too small for a leash-free zone. Leash-free zones should be large enough to allow dogs to run free without fear of running onto a road.

3. Owners should be required to poop and scoop (as they now are), and to have their dog trained to come when called. One of the costs of leash-free zones is that owners must be able to demonstrate that their animal is in control, not harassing other animals or people, and will come when called. The city bylaw should make it an offence to be responsible for an animal in a leash free-time and place if the person responsible is not able to control the dog, if the dog is harassing other dogs or people, and if the person is not pooping and scooping. City bylaw enforcement officers should attend where there are leash-free areas and give out tickets when needed.

4. The city should strongly encourage owners to train their dogs at obedience schools, and establish license fees with substantially lower fees for dogs which can prove they are trained, as well as neutered. Most dog owners have trained their pets and are as angry at those whose dogs are out of control as anyone else.

Many well-trained dogs can be off the leash and still be effectively under the owner’s control, coming when called and not posing any problem to other park users. The issue is not so much the leash or the breed, but whether the dog is under the owner’s control. The people who should be penalized are those who cannot control their dog, whether or not it is on a leash.

Will this new approach solve all problems? Probably not. But it will be much better than the current law since it will help reasonably sort out responsibilities of dog owners and others, and it will put the emphasis where it should be – on dog obedience rather than on the failed strategy of relying entirely on leashes.

John Sewell has some experience with this issue. John and his wife own a three year old border collie George, who is very active, requires a great deal of exercise, and is reasonably obedient.