Hamilton Mountain has 2 of the city's 13 dog park sites. That's 'unfair,' says pet owner

Irene Porter says she always wanted a dog. When she retired in June 2022, she adopted Ozzy, an Australian Shepherd who "changed my life," leading her to meet new people and explore new places. 

"I walk the small streets. I go through the parks. I find the trails," Porter told CBC Hamilton. But "it's tough to find spaces where [Ozzy] can run," and that has Porter calling on the city for change.

Hamilton has 10 fenced dog parks, including one with a separate unfenced area, and three fully unfenced dog parks, but as Porter, who lives in the upper city has noticed, the majority are in the lower city, with just two on the mountain. That's "unfair," Porter says. 

She said she usually goes to the Hamilton SPCA park on Dartnall Road, which is too overgrown for her liking, or Corporal Nathan Cirillo Park in Ancaster, which she likes, but needs to drive 40 minutes to get there.

Porter said ideally, she'd like more parks within walking distance, and that as things stand, too many dog owners who don't drive are excluded from accessing those spaces. 

Dog parks are important she said, because giving dogs a chance to run and play helps them socialize. "Dogs are far better behaved once they've exercised. .. Having those spaces where the dogs can run around gives them that social interaction."

In lieu of official spaces, she says people are more likely to let their dogs run in spaces where it's not allowed, risking negative interactions with other park users, and fines from bylaw officers. She said she's been warned for doing just that. 

Porter pointed to a recent CBC Hamilton article reporting on the city's work to improve park access in the lower city. She says if parks are meant to meet the needs of the community, and that community includes dogs and their owners, then "we should be included in there, too." 

Kara Bunn, Hamilton's manager of parks and cemeteries, said the Mountain is an "under-serviced area" in the city, and that in Hamilton, dog park demand surpasses supply. 

However, she said, creating new parks is a challenge, particularly in densely populated areas.

"Dog parks are very busy. They have a big impact on the community, often in a negative way because they can be quite loud with dogs barking," Bunn said. "There are a lot of cars and people that come in from all over the city to use dog parks."

She said the city builds fenced parks to be at least about a hectare in size and always wants to include parking to avoid traffic concerns. Planners also consider what else the park is used for to avoid situations in which dogs could come into conflict with other park users.

For unfenced parks, where the city posts hours in which people can unleash their dogs, planners look for natural barriers between the parks and roadways to increase safety. 

In all cases, Hamilton conducts community consultations before creating a new dog park.