Editor: I am dog-sitting my grand dog this week, an assignment I enjoy, but I am beginning to dread. Why? Because I can’t walk him anywhere in Canmore without encountering off leash dogs who run up to him.
Bourbon is a rescue dog who spent much of his first six years either tied up to a stake on a farm, or being raced illegally. As such, he was not socialized with other dogs.
My son and daughter-in-law have spent hundreds of dollars on private lessons to try and train him to be less reactive to other dogs. Bourbon is not a mean dog, but he is reactive with other dogs – he is scared, doesn’t know how to approach them, and gets territorial and defensive. He barks and growls.
When other dogs are on leash, we distract him with treats before they get too close and reward him with more treats when he doesn’t react by barking and lunging on the leash. He has shown great improvement.
With this behaviour in mind, I consciously try to choose routes where I am least likely to encounter loose dogs. I stay away from Quarry Lake and the dog park in particular.
The hydro line is a wonderful place to walk him, if there are no loose dogs. Fat chance of that … I will avoid the Highline Trail from now on as we have encountered mountain bikers with loose dogs who don’t even have leashes with them, the last two times.
How about the streets of my Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood? Nope. We have had loose dogs run down driveways to invade our personal space.
This morning, I chose a walk along the usually quiet trail right behind my house on Wilson Way. About 100 metres down the trail I spotted a lady jogging with two dogs. I began to open my treat bag to distract Bourbon’s attention and hopefully reward him for remaining calm and quiet.
But these two large dogs are barreling towards us at full speed. When they invade our space and are inches away, Bourbon starts growling and snapping at them and they respond in kind, jumping at him and growling horribly and snapping at him.
I start kicking them and yelling “no.” I warn the lady I will use my bear spray on them if she cannot get them away from us. I trip and fall on my back, fearful that in this vulnerable position, the dogs may attack me. I jump to my feet and reach for the bear spray which is in my fanny pack, but it had fallen on the ground with my fall.
The lady finally gets control of her dogs. I am shaking. I check Bourbon over and he does not appear to be physically harmed. No bites. The lady is apologetic. But the psychological damage is done, as the next time we encounter dogs on our walks, all the training to socialize Bourbon has gone to waste.
I find it personally disgusting in a town that is supposed to pride itself on co-existing with wild things that there is such flagrant disregard for keeping dogs leashed where they are supposed to be, especially given the media attention focused on bear 148 this summer and the abundant placement of signage around town.
Town of Canmore, please step up your enforcement and increase the fines. We have a problem of epidemic proportions in this town.
I guess my only option is to drive Bourbon downtown and walk up and down Main Street, but most of the time I do not have a car.
Feeling trapped and still shaking.
Mandy Johnson,
Canmore
