Dogs could be getting new off-leash areas in some Saanich parks.
The parks department is drawing up a report for council about a pilot project to create sites where dogs can run free.
The Cadboro Bay Residents Association is solidly behind the idea, and would like to see it come to Cadboro-Gyro Park, said chairman Eric Dahli.
He said there has been “a perfect storm” of circumstances behind the association’s support, including closure of the University of Victoria dog field on Cedar Hill Cross Road and seasonal dog restrictions in some parks around the municipality.
That includes limitations on Cadboro Bay beach.
“We thought that perhaps an area for dogs in the park would take the pressure off the beach,” Dahli said. “With COVID, we have a lot more people owning dogs.”
People want to be able to give their dogs outside experiences, he said. “With people working from home, I think they’re finding more time to spend some quality time with their dogs.”
The concept of spreading dog areas around has worked in places such as Victoria and Saanich, he said. “We are hoping that Saanich will give it a trial,” he said. “Try it on a trial basis and see how it fits.”
Dahli said his group hasn’t really looked beyond Cadboro Bay, but there are other possible sites.
Some sort of fencing would be used, he said.
Eva Riccius, Saanich’s senior manager of parks, said the issue should be going to council later this month.
“We’ve heard from a number of places, especially over the last year, that folks would like to see if that would work in Saanich,” she said. “We’re taking a district approach, so it’s not just in Cadboro-Gyro Park but in a few others. “We’re still working out which ones.”
The criteria for a dog area includes an open, grassy spot with some parking nearby, Riccius said.
She said fenced baseball fields in Saanich are allowed to be used as off-leash areas in the winter.
Care has to be taken with beaches at this time of year because waterfowl are tending their young, Riccius said.
jbell@timescolonist.com
