(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Dog parks

Council discusses fencing off leash dog parks

Apr 27, 2022 | 11:50 AM

The idea of whether some off leash dog parks, such as the one near the sewage treatment plant, should be fenced saw some discussion at Monday’s city council meeting.

Some councillors said that the idea of fencing at least part of some areas should be considered.

Ted Zurakowski commented that maybe council needs to make a larger commitment.

“I’m not sure if that causes us to be all in or not. I think there is some need for some strategic fencing in that area,” he said.

At least one letter of opposition to dogs running loose in the sewage treatment plan area has been received.

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“My opposition is this will infringe on my walking enjoyment along the road to the sewage plant and weir, also alongside the Rotary Trail and drainage ditch. There is also the issue of increased traffic and parking in this area because of this proposal,” reads the letter written by Robert and Jeannie Walker.

The Walkers said that the current lack of signage on First Street East resulted in people stopping there and removing their dogs from leashes and the melting snow has shown a lot of dog poop on the ground.

They also pointed out a significant number of vehicular traffic in the area, including large septic trucks.

In the departmental submission to council, staff said that while off-leash areas are increasingly common in Saskatchewan, they are not without their drawbacks and each year the city gets multiple complaints.

Community Services director Jody Boulet explained that staff will be watching what happens in the area.

“We need to see responsible pet ownership within those designation spaces and hopefully other areas as well,” he said.

In the submission to council, Boulet pointed out that dogs are a user group.

“Dog owners are one of the user groups of our park system, and as a progressive city this should to be considered. However, irresponsible dog ownership is a frequent cause for irritation and results in a number of complaints to the city each year,” reads the agenda submission.

Council passed the motion to spend $12,000 on improvements to the dog park.

“I think this is overdue. I think there is a need in our community for off-leash dog parks, both small and large,” said Zurakowski.

The city plans to have an off-leash dog park for each of the four corners of the Rotary Trail, with sizes varying.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow