The Capital Regional District could be looking at putting a leash on commercial dog walkers who let loose the hounds in CRD parks.
View Royal Mayor David Screech brought the issue to the CRD parks committee after hearing complaints from residents who have encountered “packs of off-leash dogs” being exercised by professional dog walkers in Thetis Lake Park.
“I think when the off-leash rules were originally designed years ago, it was for an individual to go out with one or two dogs and walk their dogs,” Screech said.
“It is not for a professional dog walker to go out with seven, eight, nine [or] 10 dogs off leash.”
There’s a difference between someone who is walking their dog and a professional using a park for a commercial purpose, he said. “That’s what’s happening in the parks, and I think it’s wrong.”
The CRD parks bylaw mandates that owners are to have their dog under control at all times; to have a leash and collar for each dog at all times; and to remove dog waste. The bylaw also lists 11 parks that have restrictions on beaches and in picnic areas in the summer where dogs are not allowed unless leashed and just passing through. Under a recently approved management plan, dogs on the CRD’s three regional trails are to be leashed at all times.
Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, a parks committee member, said the existing CRD bylaw should be sufficient to deal with commercial dog walkers.
“Seems to me there’s lots of scope in the current approach that if you have six dogs and you release them — release the hounds in the park — they’re not under control,” Jensen said.
“It would just be a simple matter of: ‘Call the six dogs back right now as proof of control.’ ”
But CRD parks committee, in a recommendation that needs board approval, wants staff to investigate and report back on the number of dogs per person that should be permitted and whether commercial dog walkers using CRD parks should be required to take out a commercial permit.
With an estimated 70,000 dogs in the capital region, it would be hard to find a more contentious issue for local politicians than dogs in parks.
Just the appearance of the issue as an information item on the agenda of the parks committee brought out five dog owners who made presentations urging the committee not to impose more restrictions because of the actions of a few irresponsible dog walkers.
Commercial dog walker Tamara Pierson, who founded Adventure Dog in 2004, said it may be newcomers to the dog-walking business who are making things difficult for those, such as her, who have been operating without complaints for years.
“There’s a reason this hasn’t been a problem until recently and I think part of that is that there’s a lot of startup companies that maybe aren’t taking it seriously or responsibly to begin with,” she said.
Her dog handlers are equipped with waist belts with leashes.
“We have leashes on all our dogs as we arrive and leave the park and during our walks dogs are incrementally let off leash,” she said.
Pierson said the parks committee seems to be looking for responsible management of commercial dog walkers — something she does not oppose.
