Councillors, residents call on Bylaw Services to enforce the rules for dogs in parks

Residents have been logging complaints with the city regarding dog owners who are not obeying on-leash and stoop and scoop rules around city parks. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa).

Dog owners know their four-legged friends love to run free, but not every park in the city of Ottawa allows for an off-leash adventure.

Some councillors say the rules for dogs and owners at parks are being ignored and turning into a messy situation that the city needs to enforce.

Rio, the Labradoodle, is getting his 'zoomies' out with some running; a little play and a chance to socialize with other furry friends at David Bartlett Park, an off-leash park in Manotick. 

"It’s just a jewel; it’s beautiful and it’s important for socializing and its great fun for him. I bring my dog here every single day," says Rio’s owner, Elisa Pizzo. "And that’s why I travel as far as I do every day just so I can come here so we can have that freedom."

Pizzo lives about 20 minutes away in Greely, where its community parks, like many others across the city, require pets to remain on a leash at all times.

And while Pizzo, like many others, respect the rules, there are a growing number of those who do not. It’s a common complaint for area councillors. One reason, residents do not like being approached by untethered dogs, but there is another messy problem, that is number two.

"The little droppings that have been left in the snow all winter that are going to be mush along the path," Coun. Allan Hubley says. "It’s a public health issue; it’s a visibility issue, like people just don’t like that."

As Hubley walks through Meadowbreeze Park in Kanata, he can easily point out many piles of dog poop, one of which was less than a foot from the garbage can.

"I wouldn’t say off-leash is the number one complaint. I would say not picking up after your pet is the biggest complaint," he says. "Taxpayers are not paying for staff that will go around picking up dog waste."

It is the responsibility of dog owners to ‘stoop-and-scoop’, which they are also supposed to bring home to be composted. Hubley wants to add 20 dog waste cans in parks around the area, but the city has not yet agreed.

Ottawa Bylaw Services says during the winter months, it responds to these issues mainly on a complaint basis. However, in the summer, student officers assist with patrols around city parks. Hubley says more staff are needed to enforce park rules.

This year's budget has not earmarked any money to hire more officers.

"They just don’t have the manpower to take all the calls is what I found," Hubley. "They dedicated just the student officers just to do that task, go around the parks monitor for garbage dumping or dog waste in the parks. The challenge, what we found last year for example, there just wasn’t enough student bylaw officers to keep a handle on the issue. It was continuing to grow … and unless they do something to improve that situation I’m not supporting the budget."

The fine for failing to keep a dog on a leash in an area of a park signed 'on-leash' is $125. Furthermore, a fine of $125 may also be issued if the dog is not registered with the city.