More bylaw officers will be hanging around Preservation Park over the next few weeks as the city sees an uptick in reports of off-leash dogs.
Since July, the city has received 51 off-leash calls for Preservation Park alone, compared to 40 in July and August last year.
On average the city sees around 123 reports each year in addition to any calls the Guelph Humane Society receives, said Doug Godfrey, general manager of operations with the city.
"Due to an increase in concerns regarding dogs off leash at Preservation Park, bylaw staff are increasing their presence over the next few weeks,” he said. “Since Aug. 5, staff have been proactively patrolling and speaking with park patrons and dog owners. To date, staff have not found any violations, however we anticipated this to occur as it is staff’s presence that often encourages compliance.”
Both the city and the humane society routinely patrol for off-leash dogs, he said, but when more reports are coming from a specific neighbourhood or park, they increase patrols and communications for a few weeks “to remind residents and encourage compliance.”
The fine for having a dog off-leash in an undesignated area is $150 plus the victim surcharge and administration fees.
The increased patrol at Preservation Park means there will be a smaller bylaw presence in other areas, and unless they are still receiving concerns after a month, they will revert to normal patrols.
“Normally the number of concerns received for Preservation Park is fairly low but consistent. In late July (and) early August we received several concerns over a short period of time. This led us to address the issue to discourage the trend from continuing.”
A similar instance happened earlier this year at Riverside Park.
“Having a dog on leash helps to prevent incidents with other dogs, injuries to others and protects wildlife. It also helps ensure your dog doesn’t consume something that may make them ill,” he said, noting there are several designated off-leash areas in the city.
