Think your dog is harmless enough to go off-leash at the park?
Coquitlam bylaw officers are hoping you think of other park users first before you unhook that leash. And if you don't, they'll be waiting with ticket books in hand.
The city's bylaw officers are cracking down on scofflaw dog owners in an effort to make sure parks remain user-friendly for all people and animals. They'll be out reminding dog owners to keep their pets on a leash, to pick up after them and dispose of the bags properly, and to ensure pooches are properly licensed.
"What we're trying to do is make people a little bit aware of other people's perspective," said Andrea MacDonald, Coquitlam's manager of bylaws and animal control services.
"It's not about whether your dogs are friendly — there are people who are genuinely afraid of dogs, people who are nervous to be knocked down by a dog.
"People need to feel safe in the park, so this is about appreciating and understanding other people's perspective that they shouldn't have to be approached, even by a friendly dog."
Officers will focus the dog enforcement blitz in Mundy, Town Centre and Coquitlam River parks, where they get the most number of calls about pooches off leash. Also on their radar will be Mackin, Miller, Como Lake and Glen parks, as well as the Coquitlam Crunch, but MacDonald said officers will be checking smaller neighbourhood parks within their zones as well.
The stepped-up efforts started at the beginning of June with an eye to educating dog owners and increasing awareness — but that will soon come to an end.
"There will be a strong focus on ticketing and people will be ticketed for not following the rules," MacDonald said.
Those tickets come with a $150 fine for an off-leash or unlicensed dog, and for droppings that aren't picked up (the fine drops to $100 if paid within 14 days).
MacDonald said having a dog properly licensed is the best way to be reunited with your pooch as quickly as possible should it get away from you, adding if a bylaw officer can reach the owner, they'll drive the dog home.
As for those biodegradable or compostable dog waste bags, they can take years to break down and still need to be placed in a garbage can, MacDonald said, not tossed in the forest.
• Visit www.coquitlam.ca/trainyourhuman for more information.
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