Dear Editor:
I am getting increasingly frustrated by dog owners who are constantly ignoring our leash laws all over Guelph/Eramosa Township.
There are several clearly posted off-leash “dog parks” where people can go and let their dog run free, but the majority of parks and all of the conservation areas are posted as “Dogs must be leashed at all times”, with an additional clearly-marked notice stating that there is a minimum $95 fine for not obeying the leash laws.
I am a responsible dog owner and take my dog for a long walk daily (on a leash) and my dog and I are regularly accosted by dogs that come running up to us. Their owners may be attempting to call them, but on only two occasions in the last month have I witnessed these loose dogs actually having a reliable recall.
There are many people and many on leash dogs that are extremely uncomfortable when a strange dog runs right up to them. It does not matter if your loose dog is friendly or not! If an altercation ensues it is always the fault (and the financial responsibility) of the owner of the loose dog. Dogs are animals and many dogs and people do not enjoy being charged at. This is really simple people: if your dog does not have a 100% recall (such that it returns to you and you can put it back on a leash immediately no matter what the distraction is) then it has absolutely no right to be off leash.
I want our bylaw officers to get out there and start doing their jobs by issuing these tickets! In my experience with the dog owners currently in our parks, there would be anywhere from one to six (at peak times) tickets given out per hour, per bylaw officer.
If the township would assign these bylaw officers to random parks at variable hours, it will generate a tremendous amount of revenue for the township and it will allow the average citizen (and every responsible dog owner) the right to get back to enjoying their parks.
If there are not enough bylaw officers to do this job, then in my opinion, anyone employed by the conservation authority should be empowered to issue tickets in their park. This is very simple if you want your dog to run off leash and you cannot be bothered to educate it fully, then take it to an off-leash dog park.
Your disobedient dog has absolutely no right to be free in public unless it is a clearly marked “dog park”. In addition, as a taxpayer, I expect our local officials to act on this problem and enforce our bylaws before people and innocent animals get injured by loose and disobedient dogs.
Carol Wilm,
Guelph/Eramosa