Editor: Re: off leash dogs in Banff and Canmore.
When I first moved to Banff I thought it was no big deal if my dog chased a deer when we were out on a walk. The dog was thrilled, the deer was fleet – what harm was there?
Then one day my dog scared up twin fawns who had been hidden in the bush by their mother, and the terrified fawns vanished, and I could only hope they were safely reunited with their mother. I felt terrible, and guilty, and a woman who saw what had happened chastised me for having my dog off-leash in the national park.
How would I like it, she asked, if my offspring were chased by a dog? And that got me thinking. Not long afterward, I saw an adult deer run down and injured right in town by an off-leash dog. And so my feeling “What’s the problem?” changed radically.
A couple of years ago I asked the town’s bylaw officer for statistics on how many tickets per year were issued for off-leash dogs, because I had never seen a bylaw officer or Parks person ticketing a person for an off-leash dog. They couldn’t tell me if there had been even one ticket issued (I realize the Town and the park are two different jurisdictions, and that’s part of the problem, I think. Who patrols the Bow River banks, for example?).
I walk my dog an hour or two every day and, every single time, I see at least one off-leash dog, and usually more. I nicely tell people about the young animals at this time of year, I tell people why the rule is in place, I tell them it’s against the law to have a dog at large, and this comes as a surprise to some people, while others give me filthy looks as though they are entitled. Some people say, “Oh, I hadn’t thought.” and leash their dogs, others ignore me (or worse).
I think most people in Banff are aware of the areas where dogs can be found off-leash, so it isn’t lack of knowledge that results in no ticketing. On the riverbank by the pedestrian bridge. From the Tunnel Mt. parking lot up to the summit of Tunnel Mt. Along Tunnel Mt. Drive when it’s closed. Behind Cougar Street. Anywhere in the woods along the way to the Industrial Compound. From the Blue Canoe dock to the Fenland Loop and all through the loop and down Vermilion Lake Road. Cascade Ponds.
And on goes the list. I have never seen an officer approach a dog owner to either warn or issue a ticket. I don’t know the areas of concern in Canmore, but I am sure the situation is similar – that the favoured places are well-known and frequented.
IDEA: engage the community to help solve the problem. Clock and determine when people walk their dogs – it tends to be about the same time every day (and often the same people and dogs). Invite people to serve as Public for the Parks volunteers, hire students, ask seniors – to sit on a park bench with a book or magazine and a disposable camera for a couple of hours a day during “peak” times.
Have them nicely ask people if they know it’s illegal to have their dog off-leash, and tell them why, and give out an info sheet. The second time, give them a warning ticket and take a picture. The third time, report them to the officer who can issue a real ticket.
I believe that people continue to let their dogs off-leash because there is no enforcement, or none I’ve ever seen in eight years of living here. An education program is a start – how about big information notices in the papers? How about a canine equivalent of a speed trap once a week? And fines with clout: a $100 ticket once or twice would, I believe, help ensure the safety of the wildlife and make it clear that off-leash dogs will not be tolerated either in town or in the national park at large.
Jill Robinson,
Banff
