Off-leash dogs raising growing concern at Victoria Park in Charlottetown
CBC
For Lindsay Gillan, walking her dog, Daisy, twice a day in Charlottetown’s Victoria Park is a treasured routine that benefits both her physical and mental health.
But lately, those walks have become a source of stress due to other pet owners walking their dogs off-leash.
“If a dog off-leash approaches Daisy, she is going to want to defend because she feels trapped on-leash,” Gillan said of her 90-pound king shepherd.
“Even a friendly, lovely dog like Daisy will get aggressive and pull and bark. So it's led to a very fraught walk.”
It’s against the rules to have dogs off-leash at Victoria Park, but the City of Charlottetown and the P.E.I. Humane Society are hearing complaints about it happening.
Gillan said she has noticed it becoming more of an issue over the last two years.
“People are educated, they know that this is an on-leash park. They do it anyway. It's willful defiance at this point,” she said. “I don't think everyone understands the danger that it can cause.”
Officials with the humane society agree.
“A lot of the time what our [animal protection] officers are doing are responding to those concerns, spending time patrolling that area, trying to educate dog owners about why their dog should remain on-leash,” said Ashley Travis, the organization’s development and communications co-ordinator.
“Though your dog might be totally friendly and very easy to get along with, the dog it’s approaching might not be.”
Animal protection officers also issue tickets to owners who don't leash their dogs. A first offence can range from $100 to $500.
“Usually we're not going to jump to a ticket right away,” Travis said. “We're going to ask you to put your dog on a leash. And if you aren't able to do that or decline to do that, then we would follow with a ticket.”
But, she said, it can be difficult to catch the practice happening in the first place.
“Once a report is filed, the dog is probably no longer at the park by the time an officer gets there," Travis said. "That's one of the reasons why our officers patrol in areas … that are known for having off-leash dogs, so that we can provide that education on site when the offence is occurring.”
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