A walk on the wild side
Are Toronto’s off-leash parks going to the dogs…or not?
By Tom Sandford
It's called the People, Dogs and Parks Off-Leash Policy, but some licensed, professional dog walkers are concerned the rules don’t adequately target the conduct and behaviour of the first party named in the regulations.
Very belligerent
“I find people are getting more aggressive,” says Anne Turner, a dog walker in the Beaches area since 1999. “Very belligerent.”
During a chilly afternoon slog through the sand at Kew-Balmy Beach Off-leash Park, Anne speaks candidly of changes she has seen in the attitudes of dog owners since Toronto City Council approved the policy on January 27th, 2010.
“I mean, generally, people are pretty well-behaved,” says Turner. “I just find that some of the general public who do not own dogs don’t respect the off-leash area.”
In what way?
“More and more people are letting their dogs run amok,” says Turner. “That, I’m finding, has gotten much worse: people [are not] really accepting responsibility.”
Turner recounts numerous incidents of owners either turning a blind eye – or simply flat-out refusing – to react to the actions of dogs ostensibly under their control.
“The lack of responsibility for their animal’s behaviour blows my mind.”
Once inside the fenced-in off-leash park, she says, it’s “a free-for-all.”
People, she laments, often feign helplessness and defer to the whims of their pets, oblivious to the dictates of common courtesy. Anne describes a typical occurrence of such aggression by proxy.
“Another one of my favourites is when their dog comes running over, steals one of your dog’s toys and then they look at you and say, ‘Oh, sorry. He’s not going to give it back.’”
Oblivious owners
Jennifer Burns, a professional dog walker for 17 years, feels some dog owners blithely relinquish control of their pets immediately upon entering the off-leash zone.
But for Burns, this is where the work really begins.
In situations where two dogs begin to play rough, “a lot of people will just say, ‘Oh, they (the dogs) will sort it out.’”
“That’s fine. You can make that decision for your dog,” she says. “But don’t presume to make it for my dog.”
“The big trick is to see [the potential for conflict] before it starts.”
She recalls an occasion in which a woman pushing a stroller had entered the off-leash area accompanied by a dog and several children. The woman subsequently produced “an open block of cheese and a knife on top of the stroller,” says Jennifer incredulously. “And she’s doling out cheese chunks to the children. I’m like, ‘You’re in an off-leash area!’”
The peanut butter policy
Likewise, Turner has no shortage of anecdotes related to apparent lapses in common sense.
She recounts, with obvious amusement, an occurrence in which a woman, accompanied by three children, unwisely chose to have a picnic on a blanket in the middle of the Kew Beach off-leash area.
Anne’s six dogs were well behaved, she says, but as one might predict, approached the woman and her children as they ate.
While there was no incident to speak of – the dogs merely approached and sniffed with interest – the woman took umbrage at their behaviour.
After Anne informed her she was picnicking in an off-leash area, the situation went downhill. The woman responded with profanities.
Toronto Animal Services representative Robert Dale Meerburg admits there are imperfections and occasional conflicts arising in off-leash parks.
“We have a lot of off-leash areas and they’re adding new ones all the time in the city of Toronto, and they’re not without their problems.”
According to Meerburg, however, the idea of picnicking in an off-leash area, while mystifying on its face, is perfectly legal. It may surprise some people to learn that off-leash parks are not intended for the sole and exclusive use of dogs.
“Those people are free to [have a picnic] there if they choose to,” says Meerburg, after hearing the details of Turner’s anecdote.
So does this mean that people are potentially free to walk through off-leash parks even if they’re, oh, let’s say, smothered in peanut butter?
“They could walk through there smothered in peanut butter,” he says.
When apprised of Mr. Meerburg’s interpretation of this aspect PD&P Off-Leash Policy, Anne is visibly astonished.
“Then what’s the point of having an off-leash area?”
The section of the policy dealing with monitoring and dispute resolution says that issues between dog owners and dog walkers (note: picnickers are not specifically addressed) will be tracked “as they arise.” But with only a handful of officers out in the field, most disputes will have been settled one way or another by the time anyone with authority can be contacted.
To dog owners and would-be picnickers who enter off-leash zones, Anne Turner offers one piece of advice.
“They are dogs. They are not children. They are not you. It’s an animal. Please expect them to behave as such and deal with it accordingly.”
Off-leash park etiquette
Very belligerent
“I find people are getting more aggressive,” says Anne Turner, a dog walker in the Beaches area since 1999. “Very belligerent.”
During a chilly afternoon slog through the sand at Kew-Balmy Beach Off-leash Park, Anne speaks candidly of changes she has seen in the attitudes of dog owners since Toronto City Council approved the policy on January 27th, 2010.
“I mean, generally, people are pretty well-behaved,” says Turner. “I just find that some of the general public who do not own dogs don’t respect the off-leash area.”
In what way?
“More and more people are letting their dogs run amok,” says Turner. “That, I’m finding, has gotten much worse: people [are not] really accepting responsibility.”
Turner recounts numerous incidents of owners either turning a blind eye – or simply flat-out refusing – to react to the actions of dogs ostensibly under their control.
“The lack of responsibility for their animal’s behaviour blows my mind.”
Once inside the fenced-in off-leash park, she says, it’s “a free-for-all.”
People, she laments, often feign helplessness and defer to the whims of their pets, oblivious to the dictates of common courtesy. Anne describes a typical occurrence of such aggression by proxy.
“Another one of my favourites is when their dog comes running over, steals one of your dog’s toys and then they look at you and say, ‘Oh, sorry. He’s not going to give it back.’”
Oblivious owners
Jennifer Burns, a professional dog walker for 17 years, feels some dog owners blithely relinquish control of their pets immediately upon entering the off-leash zone.
But for Burns, this is where the work really begins.
In situations where two dogs begin to play rough, “a lot of people will just say, ‘Oh, they (the dogs) will sort it out.’”
“That’s fine. You can make that decision for your dog,” she says. “But don’t presume to make it for my dog.”
“The big trick is to see [the potential for conflict] before it starts.”
She recalls an occasion in which a woman pushing a stroller had entered the off-leash area accompanied by a dog and several children. The woman subsequently produced “an open block of cheese and a knife on top of the stroller,” says Jennifer incredulously. “And she’s doling out cheese chunks to the children. I’m like, ‘You’re in an off-leash area!’”
The peanut butter policy
Likewise, Turner has no shortage of anecdotes related to apparent lapses in common sense.
She recounts, with obvious amusement, an occurrence in which a woman, accompanied by three children, unwisely chose to have a picnic on a blanket in the middle of the Kew Beach off-leash area.
Anne’s six dogs were well behaved, she says, but as one might predict, approached the woman and her children as they ate.
While there was no incident to speak of – the dogs merely approached and sniffed with interest – the woman took umbrage at their behaviour.
After Anne informed her she was picnicking in an off-leash area, the situation went downhill. The woman responded with profanities.
Toronto Animal Services representative Robert Dale Meerburg admits there are imperfections and occasional conflicts arising in off-leash parks.
“We have a lot of off-leash areas and they’re adding new ones all the time in the city of Toronto, and they’re not without their problems.”
According to Meerburg, however, the idea of picnicking in an off-leash area, while mystifying on its face, is perfectly legal. It may surprise some people to learn that off-leash parks are not intended for the sole and exclusive use of dogs.
“Those people are free to [have a picnic] there if they choose to,” says Meerburg, after hearing the details of Turner’s anecdote.
So does this mean that people are potentially free to walk through off-leash parks even if they’re, oh, let’s say, smothered in peanut butter?
“They could walk through there smothered in peanut butter,” he says.
When apprised of Mr. Meerburg’s interpretation of this aspect PD&P Off-Leash Policy, Anne is visibly astonished.
“Then what’s the point of having an off-leash area?”
The section of the policy dealing with monitoring and dispute resolution says that issues between dog owners and dog walkers (note: picnickers are not specifically addressed) will be tracked “as they arise.” But with only a handful of officers out in the field, most disputes will have been settled one way or another by the time anyone with authority can be contacted.
To dog owners and would-be picnickers who enter off-leash zones, Anne Turner offers one piece of advice.
“They are dogs. They are not children. They are not you. It’s an animal. Please expect them to behave as such and deal with it accordingly.”
Off-leash park etiquette
- Pick up dog waste
- Be considerate
- Keep an eye on your dog
- Try to anticipate problems
- Don’t allow your dog to become a bully
- Discourage excessive barking in areas near homes
