My 3 year old son has been attacked twice now. It happens so fast the second time the dog didn't even bark just rushed him from behind well we were watching the go train. I love dogs but fucking humans ruin everything. Dog owners and their dogs need to be trained. Dogs shouldn't be off leash in an area that isn't fenced in and clearly designated as for dogs only.
Licensing with the city of Toronto (which already exists but is not enforced at all) for owners and their dogs. And the. Enforce it with actual punishment like confiscation to a dog shelter/humane society
A couple summers ago I saw a dog running loose in a park and some helpful people caught it and started looking for the owner. The owner eventually showed up and thanked them for not calling the city because the guy didn't have the dog licensed and he complained that he'd have to pay for that if he had to get the dog back from the city again.
The guy looked familiar and later I realized that I'd seen him before when I was on a bar patio a year or so prior and a random loose dog came and joined us. We held onto the dog and one of the bar employees said they knew he lived nearby and that he got loose all the time.
Some people just shouldn't be allowed to own dogs.
I once spent the better part of an hour trying to catch a loose dog in the Annex. I first spotted it standing in the middle of Bloor street, acting scared out of it’s mind. I kept thinking about how badly I’d want someone to save my dog if she ran away. I eventually caught him, and called the number on the collar. She sounded very blasé and gave me her address. When she opened the door she didn’t even smile to see her dog back. I asked if she knew her dog was missing. She told me she just LETS IT OUT DURING THE DAYTIME.
Canadian Tire sells Saber brand dog spray. Completely legal to carry to use against dogs or animals that might attack you. I carry it in my bag when I take my kids to the park.
Bite/break stick might be a good idea too. Some breeds will not stop even with a face full of dog spray, or even if shot with bullets (like bully breeds)
My dog is a big baby and wouldn’t hurt a fly but I still worry about him approaching the wrong person or other dog and getting attacked himself. Even if your dog is friendly/trained/not dangerous it’s still irresponsible to let them off leash in non designated areas. It’s behaviour that says to me “I don’t care about you OR my own dog”
More than that: there are people who are scared of dogs, or worried that the dogs may be unsafe.
If I had a young child and I saw dogs running loose at the local park, I would be very hesitant to bring my child there. And even if I did I would have watch like a hawk to make sure my child was safe from those dogs which would be exhausting.
If I was scared of dogs I might avoid parks and walking paths/trails entirely because I might encounter a dog that is not under control.
The duty of care is the responsibility of the dog owner, and should not be forced onto everyone else.
> If I was scared of dogs I might avoid parks and walking paths/trails entirely
I had a woman tell me to leash my dog because she was afraid of dogs. We were in an off-leash dog park at the time, which she was walking through as a shortcut.
In general, your first sentence triggers me. I know you’re saying you use a leash but 99% of off leash owners use that excuse as there harmless dog jumps me or my kids.
And even if it’s true for someone saying it’s okay for their dog to be off leash so someone else will say it’s ok for them too. Like dangerous driving it sets an example.
I agree with you 100% what I’m doing is trying to start from their perspective and work backwards. Let’s say you believe your dog is harmless, from a safety perspective you’re still jeopardizing their own safety by having them off leash.
On a personal note I also care just as much about the safety of the people in the park, but I know many people don’t. For the record I don’t have my dog off leash in non off leash areas and I don’t think anyone else should either. No matter how well trained they are
I was having a conversation with an acquaintance as to why he doesn’t always have his dog on leash where it’s explicitly mentioned to have dogs on leash. He recklessly lets his dog be off leash and I’ve told him countless times to keep the dog on leash. I know he fully trusts his dog but the other day there was a close call. I’m afraid this person is going to learn a lesson a hard way. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Let’s not ignore the dozens of designated dog parks in the city that are not fenced in. The city is complacent in this. The amount of children I encounter in an open dog park is insane.
I think having a dog off leash in a kids park area or school zone should be an auto fine of like $10,000. It could kill a kid. It should be treated more seriously. And I have a dog.
As a dog owner... Keep you pets on leash unless it's an off leash area.
I know there aren't enough off leash areas, but just releasing your dog in any park isn't safe for anyone involved.
The one I can’t figure out is people letting their dogs off leash immediately outside the leash-free area. It’s incredibly selfish - some kids are really scared of dogs and it takes away parts of the park from them.
Some of the shit boggles my mind..
The other week I almost ran over someone's dog in the parking lot by a creek after I'd loaded my dog in the car...
The lady just let her little dog off leash right as she opened the car door. It went sniffing and found itself behind my back tyres.. I couldn't see the the little dog, as I started to inch out in reverse she ran screaming towards me. Luckily I had my windows rolled down and heard her, hopefully the dog would have had enough sense to see a slowly moving object and get out of the way, but I don't want to find out.
When I confronted her about having her dog off leash in the parking lot, her response was something along the lines of "it's a park, I do this every time we come here".
My favourite response when I ask people to leash their dogs in Cedarvale park (Which has a large off leash area) is "My dog deserves a life too!"
Listen, all I care about is your dog not getting hurt. It could run in front of a cyclist, or get attacked/attack another dog.
> The one I can’t figure out is people letting their dogs off leash immediately outside the leash-free area
> It’s incredibly selfish [of them]
I’d say you’ve figured it out pretty well, actually
I know why they do it.
The enclosed dog park areas are often muddy or messy with the occasional owner who doesn't pick up the poop, and so some owners prefer to not let their dog in because they don't want to have to wash their dog or their car interior. Also, the other dogs in there could be dangerous (or maybe their own dog is reactive) and you don't know it and don't want to risk it. It also puts you into potential conflict with other dog owners and most people don't like confrontation (and the worst dog owners are real assholes and so if there is an issue there is a high likelihood of having to deal with one of those people.)
More, bigger, and better off-leash areas would mitigate this, but let's face it: there will never be enough. There isn't even enough for humans.
> It also puts you into potential conflict with other dog owners and most people don't like confrontation (and the worst dog owners are real assholes and so if there is an issue there is a high likelihood of having to deal with one of those people.)
I would say this is a bigger reason in my own experience. Certain dog owners treat the dog park as their (the owner) social club and don't pay attention or just straight up ignore their dog practicing negative social behavior and instead focus on talking to other dog owners.
Some dogs will obsess over other dogs (mounting/humping/overly rough play for the other dog) even if the other dog has shown disinterest/displeasure in that dog.
So you reach out to the owners of the dog. Some owners will correct/leash/take the dog out of the park. Others will make a half ass attempt to stop the negative behavior of their dog but go back to socializing with other humans and ignoring their dog.
**This isn't to excuse offleash dogs in non offleash areas as there is no execuse.** Just to explain they why you may see that.
The idea that people are getting dogs when they know they don't have any space for them to run is what's crazy. Like you know the city isn't accomodating them but you'll still get one and make everyone else have to deal with it. I love dogs but I would never force one to live city life in a city that has no room for them. That's kind of mean.
Exactly. It’s not hard.
We don’t take our dog to off leash parks because he can be unpredictable around other dogs. What we did do is get him a 50’ lead we can put him on.
We’ll take him to an empty field/park and let him run around on it but if other dogs or kids etc. come we’ll shorten up the leash to an appropriate distance.
My dog has also become a bit unpredictable around dogs too. So we’ve started doing the same. Long line and recall her back and shorten the leash if anyone comes around. Very easy. She’s happy. We’re happy. So much less stress when I know she’s safe and others are safe.
The worst are people who walk into baseball diamonds while we're already there with our kids and let their dogs loose.
Then I got to spend the next 10 minutes trying to get the ball from the dog.
I agree that there aren't enough off-lease areas in the city. But dogs and kids don't necessarily mix (I say this as someone responsible for a dog in my house).
My friend has an aggressive dog he has on leash and muzzled at all times and he had to stop going to his local park to walk because off leash dogs would disturb them all the time. He’s doing the right thing but some other dog could cause him issues. It’s ridiculous. “BUT HE’S REALLY FRIENDLY!”
I'm even cautious *in* off leash areas. Be aware of your own dog's reactivity and that of other dogs. If it comes to it, leash and remove from the situation.
Some people bring mal-adjusted (rescue) dogs to off leash parks to try to socalize them. Really they need specialized rehab training which is expensive
Alas, there will never be enough dog parks to overcome the convenience (laziness) factor of a local park, or heck even local school grounds. Most yards in the city are too small for a dog to really run around in, and of course there are many apartment/condo dwellers with dogs.
Even if you increase the number of dog parks I know a lot of dog owners avoid them because it's basically a minefield. You never know what dogs are aggressive/reactive. You never know which owners are bad or unreasonable. And so to avoid those headaches/dangers they avoid the dog parks entirely and prefer to use a local park where they either know all the dogs/owners, or think they can stay far enough away from others that it's not a problem.
It's not an easy problem to try solve. So many dogs, inadequate private space, and way too many people being lazy or naive about problems their dogs may cause.
Yeah my dog is great at the off leash, but she's leash reactive! Like just because your dog is fine being off leash, doesn't mean everyone else's dog is fine with it.
They’re at TB regularly and give out tickets pretty regularly. About half of the times I’ve been there with my dog they’ve come to check if he has tags.
Off-leash in the Brickworks is particularly obnoxious because it's supposed to be a protected natural area. Off-leash dogs annoy, frighten, and kill the birds and other wildlife.
Plus, there's a good-sized off-leash area right next to the parking area.
This is exactly like High Park.
Gigantic dog park, supposed to be a protected natural area, but people insist on having offleash dogs all over the protected area.
I’m so annoyed by that too. They have their little groups and they have them all off leash. Especially last summer where that whole south side of the park is full of holes and Sundays there is a children’s soccer league that plays. So it’s avoiding dog crap and dog ditches
Any park, really, except for the "parks" that are just a bench and a few rolls of sod.
Even the non-park grassy areas, like the hydro right of way north of Finch, thar runs more or less from Bathurst to the middle of Scarborough. It's clearly marked as private property, no trespassing, no dogs allowed, and so on, but seems to always be used as a dog run.
And while they're at it, go after people who put bag after bag of household garbage in the bins in the park because they're too cheap to buy a larger bin for their house.
People in dentonia park ride bikes around at full speed with their off leash dogs behind them. One of the dogs was dog aggressive and went after other dogs. Dude would ride off when that happened after corralling his dog, but I haven't seen that dog in a while so I suppose he finally got caught.
And then got another similarly aggressive breed and did the same thing (however this dog is neutered)
When I had a dog, if I asked someone with an uncontrolled dog that was harassing my on leash dog to control their dog, I'd be yelled at. Someone else was threatened and had to call the authorities because the owner was STALKING HER.
They do a blitz now and then, the off leash dogs go somewhere else, but then they are back a month later.
Same with David Balfour Park. They closed the park for years to do renovations to the reservoir and didn’t put in a dog park when they reopened it. Now the top of the reservoir is an unofficial off-leash area.
To be clear the dog owners are in the wrong here, but I live next to the park and it's quite big. It seems like such an easy solution to just put a dog run in. Instead they have a fenced in "no dogs allowed" garden. People should follow the rules regardless, but it does also seem like poor planning.
I agree! I’d love a dog park there - even if it was in the lower section if dog pee is a concern on the roof of the reservoir, that would be an improvement. I hate when I’m walking the track and random dogs run up to me and ignore their owners calling them (and I’m someone that *likes* dogs!). When I dog sit, I take them down to Ramsden to run around.
Ive always hated "oh dont worry my dogs are friendly! They wouldnt hurt anyone!"
Meanwhile their multiple 100lb offleash dogs are sprinting in circles around me and my leashed dog, and getting closer and closer putting their paws on my 20lb weiner dogs back. When my weiner dog turns to bite your dog after he gets stomped on, suddenly hes in even more danger.
I dont give a shit how friendly your dog is, if you are not in physical control of your animal than any physical altercation your dog instigates or is victim to is in my eyes 100% your fault. Letting your dog freely run up on untrained BUT RESTRAINED dogs is the fault of the offleash owner not the person who has their animals under physical control.
Yeah.. it's like what my mother taught me about driving. "I'm not worried about my driving, I'm worried about other drivers."
I saw first hand one time a guy walking his sizeable dog, obedient and muzzled. Off-leash dog comes running over, playfully jumping around, and this poor guy's dog starts chomping at the bit, trying its hardest to snarl and lunge. The guy was strong and had full control, but his dog was losing it. He just had to stand there gripping the leash, shouting at the other people, "PLEASE CALL OFF YOUR DOG. PLEASE CONTROL YOUR DOG."
Like you said, "Oh, it's okay! He's friendly!" Are you fricking brain-dead? Yours may be but the other one isn't and that is 100% on you.
Nice to hear it from a dog owner. Usually when I point this out as a safety issue about my human children, I’m met with outright hostility.
I recently encountered a woman whose off leash dog was so out of control for so long that she didn’t notice things spilling out of her bag. I helped gather up her scattered belongings. I brought her phone and things over, and casually gave directions to the nearest off leash park, two blocks away. Fuck you she says as she takes back the phone that I recovered for her. Never have I felt such a strong urge to frisbee a cell phone
Another dog owner here. Honestly the people who let their dogs off leash in public parks are not the best socially. I don't mean socially awkward, I mean they just suck at being part of society. Of course she'd say fuck you... you had just implied she had to follow the same laws as everyone else.
Yeah even if their friendly, they can still pummel you, which has happened a handful of times to me where they knock me down like a bowling pin (I’m petite). Also I’m allergic, so I don’t want your dogs slobbery kisses mixed with it’s fur on me so I can enjoy having my eyes tear and swell up, sneeze constantly and itch like hell on my way home.
My dog doesn't like other dogs. When an off leash dog approaches mine and the owner says "my dogs friendly!" I've had to say too many times "my dog isn't".
Had 3 offleash dogs surround ours in a park, with two of them jumping on him and mounting him. They were with a dog walker. Husband yelled at the dog walker that he should leash the dogs and instead of apologizing, he told my husband not to yell at him.
Ugh, this drives me nuts! I have 2 dogs, one I've had since a puppy and a rescue I adopted. While the 1st dog is socialized and calm, the other is still kind of a hot mess (but shes learning/healing). People will let their "friendly dog" come up to mine, and I struggle keeping the rescue from attacking the unknown dog, and then potentially aggressing my calm dog after getting stirred up. Pain in the ass!
Some parents with kids too are out of their minds. The number of times I have to tell a child and their parent to back off aftering running up to us and trying to pet my dogs is wild.
I'm thinking if buying a "fuck off" vest or something for her while she's training.
I'm just soooo sick of stepping in dog poop when I'm throwing a baseball around with my kids. During the day it's unofficially used as an off leash dog park and nobody is watching their dogs very close to see if they poop.
I own a dog and bring extra crap bags with me on walks through my local park and pick up the numerous turds left by selfish pricks who let their dog go everywhere and don't pick up. If I se them I politely ask them to go back for it, I'll even point it out to them. Some are rude as hell and refuse, eff those people. Some days I wish it was legal to pelt them with their discarded detritus.
I’m annoyed about that with Corktown Commons. There is a peewee soccer league that trains there in the summer and scheduled community events and people let their dogs go free often. The tripping hazards are pretty bad
Ah the unspoken “rule” that if you are looking at your phone or talking to someone and don’t see your dog poop then you are immune from picking up the aforementioned poop.
I have two dogs and the stupidity of people leaving their dogs off leash astonishes me. Why not protect both your dogs and the people around you? All it takes is one squirrel for a dog to act crazy.
Westwood Middle School (pape/Mortimer area) the off-leash dog owners congregate there on weekends and threaten parents who ask them to leash their dogs. "I pay my taxes" is their entitled response.
Dog owners drive to that school specifically to meet up. I've seen over 20 gathered together on weekends.
Both of my kids have been attacked by dogs in that school yard. I have so many stories about off leash dogs there...
Last month an off leash dog charged at my kids as we were walking through the yard at Westwood. I confronted the owner and she said "oh yeah, my dog is really reactive around kids." I replied "So you let it off leash at a school?". She laughed at me and said "yep". Absolute trash.
I've honestly thought about this. Organizing the community to constantly confront and shame these people. Make this uncomfortably for them until they follow the rules. I'm really sick of it.
Nobody in Toronto follows laws or regulations or directives that they dont like. Shitty dog owners are one thing, but the issue is systemic.
E-bikes are technically illegal, but you don’t see that enforced. You shouldn’t litter but I see people drop their Tim’s cup on the first newspaper stand they see; as if that’s somehow better than putting it in the street.
I walk through Riverdale Park all the time, where many people let their dogs off leash. But right next to the sign that says dogs just be leashed at all times there’s another sign that says no cycling through the Park and I see people whizz past me every time.
That is to say if we want more responsible dog ownership maybe people should just be more respectful of rules in general. Everyone in this city just thinks nothing has anything to do with them.
I’m in Japan right now and the rule following is just night and day with Toronto. Obviously that’s low hanging fruit as Japan is famous for its rules, but it’s just so sad seeing the nice things we could have (clean streets, no vandalism, functioning public works) if people didn’t treat Toronto like shit
Dog owners who don't leash their dogs are super ignorant. My mother (mid 50s) was knocked to the ground recently but a poodle, and nearly dislocated her shoulder. The man who's dog attacked her gave a half-ass "sorry" and didn't even bother to help my mother off the ground. That dog has a history of attacking people too which is even worse.
in toronto it is. especially post-pandemic. i've had a dog here for over a decade. it wasnt always like this. the sudden rise of everyone letting their dog off leash everywhere is definitely a relatively recent issue.
If you call animal control and the dog owner sticks around for an hour and doesn't run away, they will show up and hand them a ticket.
On a weekday.
That's the problem is that everyone does this on weekends, but the enforcers don't work on weekends.
Partner just got attacked by a unleashed dog yesterday while out with our dog. Luckily no one was hurt but it was in a parking lot outside of a park. It’s ridiculous that people refuse to leash even with cars present, especially when their dog is as big as a human being
Dog owner. Agree that dogs should be on leash unless in leash free zones. There are now several parks that I can't walk through with my dog because other owners choose to let their dogs roam free. And when their dog runs up and antagonizes mine, their response "oh he/she is just saying hello". It's incredibly selfish and a safety risk for everyone involved: the off-leash dogs, their owners, and anyone else passing by.
It's actually very annoying that the city does not enforce the leash by-laws.
Bylaw enforcers should hang around the slackline poles in Trinity Bellwoods.
No shortage of assholes there who think the dog-leash rules don't apply to them.
HE’S JUST FRIENDLY! I don’t understand why dog owners think that’s a get out of jail free card for their dogs’ bad behaviour. Idgaf how friendly your dog is, I don’t want it near me. I’m not scared either, I just don’t like it. Period. Dog owners don’t seem to understand the concept of consent at all. When the leash is slack (IF there’s a leash) and that thing is in my personal space I see red.
Kudos for them for their politeness.
My idea of non confrontational is usually just yelling out 'PUT YOUR DOG ON A LEASH!' From a distance ..without even facing them so they feel less confronted. Most just hurriedly comply out of justified shame.
Other tactic is the stare down..and look of disgusting at the dog. Many feel the shame and comply that way too.
Last resort is my trusty coyote spray.
I have yet to reach for it but wouldn't hesitate if I felt threatened.
I walked through a downtown park last week and saw several large dogs off lease with a playground nearby. Kids were running around. There was no fence separation between the playground and park.
Just a matter of time before another kid is attacked.
I say this as a dog owner, dog owners are wack haha. Multiple times in the early stages of training my dog, I would go into off leash areas with the leash on just so I could get a feel of the place and how my dog reacts… multiple people would come up to me and tell me to take off the leash as if I’m abusing my dog by not letting it run off out of control
I was jogging in Taylor Creek and saw a lady with 5 dogs off leash. They chased after me. I yelled at her to put them on a leash and she yelled… “well stop running!”
They should check out Alexander Muir gardens and Blythwood Ravine. I have seen so many keep them off-leash outside of the off-leash area. But nothing gives me more anxiety than dogs kept off-leash around the Yonge and Eg area. They are just asking for it.
I have a giant breed dog. He is a teddy bear. I would never dream of having him off-leash anywhere but a designated off-leash park because public parks are space for other people too and the world does not revolve around me.
Your dog is friendly? Great. That is irrelevant to someone who is terrified of dogs. People can claim dogs are a part of living in a city with others, and they are totally right… but that is why there are literally by-laws requiring your dog to be leashed. Because, regardless of whether or not dogs are permitted various places, there are always those entitled dog owners out there that decide it doesn’t apply to them or their dogs. They take their non-service dogs into grocery stores. They take them to festival grounds that are specifically pet-free… there is no escaping dogs when you live in a city, so the least people can do is ensure they’re leashed so that people living with a phobia can have some measure of assurance when having to face their fears.
I know that my dog is lovely. I know he could literally be trampled on by a gaggle of children and not even flinch. Other people don’t know that, and it isn’t their problem to know that. It is my problem, as a dog owner, to make sure my dog behaves well in public and that I am adhering to rules put in place to make spaces safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Also, another pet peeve… If you can’t be bothered to clean up a dog’s poop, don’t get a dog. I have to bring upwards of six bags with me on walks to ensure I have capacity to clean up anything my dog does. If I can manage this, people with dogs that are 30 pounds or under can surely manage to clean up their dog’s poop. If you don’t clean up your dog’s poop, you are an asshole. There is no question.
It’s an entitlement issue.
To be honest, owning a large dog in such a loud jarring city to begin with seems a bit out of touch with what’s best for the animal, couple that with the fact that most of the people who have the time and money to drive their dogs to the park are likely affluent, and truly don’t care about people, because as far as they are concerned, parks exist for their dogs
We once intervened to stop a small off leash dog from getting into a fight with a MASSIVE raccoon at the brickworks… owner was far away and more focused on chatting with friends. No thank you, didn’t leash the dog afterwards….
Dog owners routinely use the track and yard of my school as a leash-free zone. I see them walking out every morning, eyes averted. Selfish assholes. Kids sit on that grass.
Even on streets. I got attacked once and yet this dog owner refuses to put dog on leash. Didn't take his info when it happened. Next time I saw him, again dog was not on leash. I asked for his info for health concerns. Told me to F off, took out my video and started recording, chased and took a swing me twice, and once it connected, I tried to block with one hand but stumbled back. Got it all on video.
I followed him (from a distance) and saw him get into a house, which I assume is his house because he then got out with his dog on leash.
Guess what animal services said, "oh don't go on that route, just to be safe". Guess what the police said, "just don't go on that route. There's nothing we can do. We need his name and address. You can't be sure that that is where he lives"
So, what, am I supposed to be like "Oh hey there bud. Sorry, I know your dog attacked me, and then you assaulted me, now can I get your name and address? Also, I saw you go in that house, but can I get your driver's license. I"d like to report you".
yeah sorry i meant canadian tire, i also didn't know they were dog friendly store too! but yeah this one was unleashed and I was a bit scare it would smell my dogs on me
Yup. Yesterday, I was driving by moss Park with a ton of people everywhere. 2 dogs just roaming free. I don't understand people with dogs in the city. Let them shit every where without picking it up right on the fuckin side walks and just let them roam free in public parks
Had a dog rush me and my fiance twice and I had to kick it to shoo it away. Then owners gave me a weird look and acted like their dogs were somehow victims. Bunch of fuckin twats.
High Park is the absolute worst for this.
You just walk into the park from any point and you'll see tons of dogs off leash. Literally a week ago I was walking along Spring Road and someone's dog runs up to me snarling and I recoil cause I don't know if this dog is having a laugh, or about to take my arm off so I yell at the douche, is your dog safe!? And he's like 'ya, she's fine' and I'm like dude, your dog just ran up to me snarling. If I didn't know better and ran away, that's the kind of dog that would chase. I called the dude an asshole and told him to leash his dumb dog up, but of course he didn't listen because FOR WHATEVER REASON people think putting their dog on a leash is like a personal afront . Like, they're so insecure and fragile that telling them to leash up their dog enrages them.
Anyway, that's like the third time that happened to me in high park. Not to mention the dogs that are off leash and have zero recall.
I’ve also had three unpleasant encounters with dogs that should have been leashed. One dog jumped on me. I did not receive any payment for the cleaning bill. I was in too much shock. You can’t laser an approaching dog on a trail.
Off leash doesn't mean you can have dangerous dogs off leash or dogs that are untrained. There is still a responsibility from the owner to make sure their dogs aren't going to hurt people or other dogs. Furthermore, a quick walk in high park will illustrate my point, that the entire park is treated as 'off-leash'.
Sorauren Park is one example of the many parks that have taken a big chunk from everyone else and dedicated it to off-leash dogs.
Of course, at any time, the majority of off-leash dogs are not in the dog park at all but are running around shitting on, and tearing up, the grass used by ten thousand good neighbors for actual designated purposes.
As a jogger, the frequency of poorly trained unleashed dogs running up to me while their owner either coos or is on their phone is infuriating. Like your dog is a stranger to me, idk that its friendly. Also it almost tripped me.
I live in Muskoka now, and run trails here regularly. It's uncommon to see any dog actually on a leash ever, but it has never been a problem in the seven years I've lived here. The dogs are always chill, and don't even glance at me, they are under full control. Similar thing in BC on trails. I'm fine with this.
But when I lived in the city, dogs coming at me was a regular problem. I don't know why there would be any difference.
The problem here with dogs is when you are cycling on country roads. It's common for people to leave their dogs loose, and they will chase you down the road.
> I don't know why there would be any difference.
dogs up north are accustomed to being off-leash and free to roam and explore as they see fit
dogs in the city are always "held back" by their leashes, left to play in their little postage-stamp sized backyards, and when they get a taste of freedom, they get overstimulated and don't know how to keep their shit together
I just don't understand the arrogance/entitlement of certain dog owners. I know my dog is well behaved but I don't feel compelled in any way to let it walk off-leashed with me. That would be stupid.
Saw an idiot walking a Great Dane on Queen St OFF-LEASH. The guy was off his rocker (drugs), so confronting him not really an option because who knows. So this fool continues to walk around with a Great Dane.
Our dog was mauled by another in the neighborhood in January. We finally get him healed up and take him to our local park. There is a woman there with what looks like a husky golden mix. No leash. A toy and a ball. Dog park in the back of the park, bust she has to play with her dog in the main entry walkway. She throws the toy up a hill and her dog goes to get it. The ball is in the middle if the paved walk. Our dog is walking near it and her dog comes running down the hill past her and starts posturing like he wants to attack our young dog. If our dog had made a dumb move, he would have been toast.
My husband pulls our dog's leash tight to him and the dog is standing stiff legged. The woman comes up and says that he is just worried our dog will touch his ball. My husband tells her to leash her dog. I said we just paid $3000 in vet bills because of a dog attack, and we don't want another. She takes the dog's ball, leashes her dog, and when we look back at her after walking away, she is playing fetch with her dog on the main path without holding the leash.
When we were leaving, there was another dog off leash. He was bothering others, and we steered clear. In a park with a huge off leash dog park. We won't be back.
One reason i keep something pointy on me... If an aggressive dog attacks me, I'm not trusting its owner to be able to hold it back
I love dogs but I'm stabbing that beast
This is a huge pet peeve of mine and my wife’s. We have two small boys and are sick and tired of the number of dogs off leash at the park. There are off leash parks. Go there.
I love dogs and animals in general but if one bites my kid, it’s going to get messed up. I know I’ll lose my mind. I’m so beyond frustrated with these ignorant assholes.
We have a sub ten pound dog. Even when she runs outside we’re fast to put her back inside. She likely wouldn’t hurt anyone but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t scare a small child and give them anxiety around other dogs. All dogs are well behaved until they aren’t. Pit bull breeds are rampant in our community and they’re super nice until one little thing goes wrong then it’s a disaster.
I could go on about my frustrations here but all cities need to clamp down on this. Nine times out of ten it’s a child who suffers because of these shitty peoples actions.
Riverdale park has an off leash area down the hill but it's a cesspool of reactive dogs with no recall skills and bad owners who don't pay attention. For my rescue pup, I'd rather for her to not have that exposure.
I have a coworker who is a first-time dog owner AND they have a skittish and reactive rescue dog that is very large, has bad recall, and isn't under their control.
They have been sending me and other coworkers videos of their dog running off-leash in the eastern, baseball diamond, part of Bellwoods. I said that that area of Bellwoods is not the off-leash area and they said they knew. Facepalm.
The humans who do this shit know what they're doing and they don't care/feel entitled/whatever.
I keep my dog on a leash.
Toronto needs more large green parks and spaces for people and pets alike. That's a huge part of the issue. Instead, the only park downtown gets ruined with "TTC access" points no one needed ir asked for. New "parkettes" are the size of peanuts with scrawny twigs, if any.
Also, why do people think its ok to get a dog, any size, if they live with no immidiate access to dog parks ? Many dont own cars, too. Dogs need daily exercise, they enjoy running and playing, it's part of healthy life style to them. Instead, the owners work all day and then rush those stressed-out dogs to sh t on concrete sidewalks. Why subject dogs, just innocent animals, btw to living unnatural, sad lives if you know you can't provide adequate rec activities for them... Selfish inconsiderate people. I love dogs and never get mad at them. It's the owners.
> Toronto needs more large green parks and spaces for people and pets alike.
The off-leash dog park map for Etobicoke is *sparse*. There's one single off-leash dog park north of Bloor for the entirety of Etobicoke. That's it.
I used to live on a busy street, Queen W. We frequently saw people walking their dogs, thinking how cool they were because they didn't have a leash.
It was funny because one day I told my partner that this is the stupidest behaviour. It looks cool, but even if it's well trained, it might see a squirrel or something and take off. Funny enough, the literal next day we see this happen. The dog just takes off, runs across rush hour traffic (luckily it wasn't moving so the dog was fine) she's yelling "somebody grab that dog." The dog just all of a sudden took off, probably sprinted like 3 blocks.
It's just shitty entitled behaviour.
The inverse of this actually happens at Sherwood Park where in the designated off leash area which is a nice walk through a wooded trail people get upset at dogs off leash
I learned today that it's legal to have your dog off leash on your unfenced property. As long as the dog is on YOUR property, it's fine. So the house up the street from me where they let their dogs out front to defecate unsupervised, unleashed and unfenced, well that's just FINE. Gotta wait for the dogs to react to my leash reactive dog, thus sparking a fight, before bylaw will do anything. As I'm not willing to use my dog as bait, this is yet another direction I can no longer take my dog. But going south takes me closer to a park that is used as an off leash space (it shouldn't be, of course) and dogs have launched themselves out of THAT park to attack us.
Our walking path narrows constantly. We just want to be safe. Please leash your dogs, people.
Same with tracks. It’s not okay to have your off leash mutt race around people running/cycling/walking. We finally found a small spot where cars aren’t doing their damnest to kill us. Please respect this one little rule (dogs are banned anyway).
This stuff never gets enforced by police, same goes with littering. We pay lots of tax dollars into cleaning up litter (including dog poop bags) but then police don't ticket people. They should make a law that if a person is caught littering, they need to pay a fine and also do community service for a month to clean litter at an assigned location (maybe the location the person littered at) and report to a supervisor when complete each time.
I’ve called 311 about this issue and they told me they would send an enforcement officer in 3-5 business days, that is if they decided it’s warranted. So basically zero enforcement. The tickets are like $500, the city could make a killing handing out fines and if they did it regularly it would work as a deterrent. For the same reason people generally don’t block hydrants or run red lights - they fear the repercussions.
I was walking through a public park and a dog that was off leash was barking and walking towards me and the owner actually told me to walk/run away so the dog can stop. Luckily enough I’m quite comfortable with dogs and so I stopped and gave the owner an earful. The dog realized I wasn’t afraid and retreated. This should be a simple municipal bylaw
There’s a woman who routinely walks a very very large and powerful dog off its leash in the Kipling and Bloor area - on the sidewalks, where people and other dogs are. There was a cop sitting at the light - and suddenly she put the dog on its leash - I asked her why she suddenly put it on when she saw the cop. Her reply was “No. Not because of that. But because sometimes he doesn’t listen.” Oh great.
TPS just drove off btw.
TPS if you’re listening. Do your job.
There are two idiot couples by Charlotte Maher Park who always let their dogs run around the park without a leash. They're not dangerous breeds per se but it's still irresponsible especially when there's a kids' playground in there
The problem with enforcement is that half of council hates spending money on anything, and the other half wants 5 years of community consultations before they come to any sort of decision.
The end result of this will be the 2027 city budget will have funding for two new enforcement officers and they'll treat it like a victory
Yeah, my dog isn't particularly friendly towards other animals, especially when he's on a leash. I used to feel awkward when people let their dogs off the leash to approach us, now I just tell them to get their dogs before mine does. It's weird how many people still roll the dice, but not really my problem
What I dream about is an honest to goodness walking trail dog park, similar to high park, but just a trail. My dogs don’t play with other dogs, so most dog parks are useless for us. And having a dog on leash at a regular place is fine, but not for exercise. I try and find places that are not official anything, and walk my pups there. But, it can be a little intimidating walking alone, especially in winter when it’s dark so early.
I know that the hydro lanes are looking at being developed and I’m hoping I can propose such an idea, because it would be ideal.
TBH I’ve found myself getting too lenient on this. Right outside our building I’ll usually let my little guy go off leash (or rather, drop the leash) since it feels like our front lawn and it’s not beside an arterial. Otherwise I’m sort of jogging alongside him as he does his poo trot.
But I’ve also now seen people with dogs cross the street when they see my dog because they just don’t know whether he can be trusted not to approach. Not fair to them. This stuff’s a good reminder.
Dog owner. Agree that dogs should be on leash unless in leash free zones. There are now several parks that I can't walk through with my dog because other owners choose to let their dogs roam free. And when their dog runs up and antagonizes mine, their response "oh he/she is just saying hello". It's incredibly selfish and a safety risk for everyone involved: the off-leash dogs, their owners, and anyone else passing by.
It's actually very annoying that the city does not enforce the leash by-laws.
My 76 year old neighbour walks her dog off leash around the neighbourhood. He walks behind her so she doesn't always have her sights on him. I think she controls him by putting a treat in her pocket. She walks down the middle of the street and the dog follows her down the middle. Quite a few times I saw cars coming up to the dog and he doesn't move. When they honk at him she gives them the finger. She crosses the Danforth with him off leash and not at a traffic light either. I have told her multiple times that it is a $350 fine if she gets caught with a dog off leash but she says she had her previous dog for 15 years and no one has ever issued her a ticket and she doesn't expect any now. She used to watch my dogs for me but I caught her trying to train my dogs to walk off leash - my dogs are terriers and one squirrel will drive their prey instinct crazy. I wish bylaw enforcement was more efficient because they said they will send someone in 2 weeks. They aren't going to hang around several hours and wait for her to walk her dog.
As someone who is currently raising a reactive dog, I will fully admit to learning the hard way to keep him leashed at all times when we leave the house. I will also admit that it was 100 per cent easier as a human to let my dog off leash (easier in this case also means L A ZY). We are working on our leash skills and avoiding people, dogs and other triggers but it breaks my heart when we have to change course because someone else’s dog is charging us off leash. It’s truly a disaster waiting to happen and I can’t stand it when the response from the other owner is “oh my dog is so friendly” 🚩 🚩 do we forget animals have agency as well?!
As a dog owner, off leash dogs drive me nuts. Had a woman throw a ball for her off leash dog inches from my two Akitas. One of my dogs lunged and got a piece of her dog. She cursed me out. My dogs are well trained, well behaved and I never let them off leash in public.
So many relevant comments! My view is that the city over many years of lenient approach to dog ownership and little to no enforcement of them adopted rules actually help create and normalize what id today a dog crisis. With only about 25% of dogs being licensed, micro-chipping mandated only for dangerous dogs, not existing enforcement (bylaws are to few, plus have no powers to ask for ID), 3 dogs per household legal (do we need 3 dogs in city?), no relevant education on dogs impacts (bites to humans, other pets, harm to wildlife, transmission of pathogens to and from wildlife, water pollution, trampling and harm to sensitive habitats, etc.). The city adopted laws into Municipal Code that are not implemented, such as where dogs are prohibited § 608-34. Dogs. Dog owners so far were left to do what they like as opposed the city educating, implementing and enforcing the laws. We often hear that more off leash areas is needed for things to get better but how does this reflect on fast growing city with scarcity of green spaces and sensitive habitats not being compatible with dogs? We all need nature first of all and nature deficit looms high in our city.
My 3 year old son has been attacked twice now. It happens so fast the second time the dog didn't even bark just rushed him from behind well we were watching the go train. I love dogs but fucking humans ruin everything. Dog owners and their dogs need to be trained. Dogs shouldn't be off leash in an area that isn't fenced in and clearly designated as for dogs only.
Licensing with the city of Toronto (which already exists but is not enforced at all) for owners and their dogs. And the. Enforce it with actual punishment like confiscation to a dog shelter/humane society
A couple summers ago I saw a dog running loose in a park and some helpful people caught it and started looking for the owner. The owner eventually showed up and thanked them for not calling the city because the guy didn't have the dog licensed and he complained that he'd have to pay for that if he had to get the dog back from the city again. The guy looked familiar and later I realized that I'd seen him before when I was on a bar patio a year or so prior and a random loose dog came and joined us. We held onto the dog and one of the bar employees said they knew he lived nearby and that he got loose all the time. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to own dogs.
I once spent the better part of an hour trying to catch a loose dog in the Annex. I first spotted it standing in the middle of Bloor street, acting scared out of it’s mind. I kept thinking about how badly I’d want someone to save my dog if she ran away. I eventually caught him, and called the number on the collar. She sounded very blasé and gave me her address. When she opened the door she didn’t even smile to see her dog back. I asked if she knew her dog was missing. She told me she just LETS IT OUT DURING THE DAYTIME.
Lmao i hate it, id wait outside the next day and take him to a loving home
If a dog attacks a human it should be destroyed. It’s really as simple as that.
When it happens with wild life, that tends to be the response as well.
The law of Harambe Edit: this is meant as diss on society’s actions for those who are downvoting me
humanity has been on the darkest timeline ever since we murdered that sweet ape.
I disagree if it’s in defense of the family or itself. If a dog is leashed and a person comes up and accosts me I want to be helped by my dog.
[удалено]
That's what destroyed means
Canadian Tire sells Saber brand dog spray. Completely legal to carry to use against dogs or animals that might attack you. I carry it in my bag when I take my kids to the park.
Bite/break stick might be a good idea too. Some breeds will not stop even with a face full of dog spray, or even if shot with bullets (like bully breeds)
My dog is a big baby and wouldn’t hurt a fly but I still worry about him approaching the wrong person or other dog and getting attacked himself. Even if your dog is friendly/trained/not dangerous it’s still irresponsible to let them off leash in non designated areas. It’s behaviour that says to me “I don’t care about you OR my own dog”
More than that: there are people who are scared of dogs, or worried that the dogs may be unsafe. If I had a young child and I saw dogs running loose at the local park, I would be very hesitant to bring my child there. And even if I did I would have watch like a hawk to make sure my child was safe from those dogs which would be exhausting. If I was scared of dogs I might avoid parks and walking paths/trails entirely because I might encounter a dog that is not under control. The duty of care is the responsibility of the dog owner, and should not be forced onto everyone else.
I agree with you 100% there is no reason a dog should be off leash in a non off leash area.
> If I was scared of dogs I might avoid parks and walking paths/trails entirely I had a woman tell me to leash my dog because she was afraid of dogs. We were in an off-leash dog park at the time, which she was walking through as a shortcut.
In general, your first sentence triggers me. I know you’re saying you use a leash but 99% of off leash owners use that excuse as there harmless dog jumps me or my kids. And even if it’s true for someone saying it’s okay for their dog to be off leash so someone else will say it’s ok for them too. Like dangerous driving it sets an example.
I agree with you 100% what I’m doing is trying to start from their perspective and work backwards. Let’s say you believe your dog is harmless, from a safety perspective you’re still jeopardizing their own safety by having them off leash. On a personal note I also care just as much about the safety of the people in the park, but I know many people don’t. For the record I don’t have my dog off leash in non off leash areas and I don’t think anyone else should either. No matter how well trained they are
"My dog is a big baby and wouldn’t hurt a fly" 🚩
I was having a conversation with an acquaintance as to why he doesn’t always have his dog on leash where it’s explicitly mentioned to have dogs on leash. He recklessly lets his dog be off leash and I’ve told him countless times to keep the dog on leash. I know he fully trusts his dog but the other day there was a close call. I’m afraid this person is going to learn a lesson a hard way. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Let’s not ignore the dozens of designated dog parks in the city that are not fenced in. The city is complacent in this. The amount of children I encounter in an open dog park is insane.
I think having a dog off leash in a kids park area or school zone should be an auto fine of like $10,000. It could kill a kid. It should be treated more seriously. And I have a dog.
As a dog owner... Keep you pets on leash unless it's an off leash area. I know there aren't enough off leash areas, but just releasing your dog in any park isn't safe for anyone involved.
The one I can’t figure out is people letting their dogs off leash immediately outside the leash-free area. It’s incredibly selfish - some kids are really scared of dogs and it takes away parts of the park from them.
Some of the shit boggles my mind.. The other week I almost ran over someone's dog in the parking lot by a creek after I'd loaded my dog in the car... The lady just let her little dog off leash right as she opened the car door. It went sniffing and found itself behind my back tyres.. I couldn't see the the little dog, as I started to inch out in reverse she ran screaming towards me. Luckily I had my windows rolled down and heard her, hopefully the dog would have had enough sense to see a slowly moving object and get out of the way, but I don't want to find out. When I confronted her about having her dog off leash in the parking lot, her response was something along the lines of "it's a park, I do this every time we come here".
Lol, what do you even say to that? "Ok, so you're always an idiot then? Not just today?"
My favourite response when I ask people to leash their dogs in Cedarvale park (Which has a large off leash area) is "My dog deserves a life too!" Listen, all I care about is your dog not getting hurt. It could run in front of a cyclist, or get attacked/attack another dog.
> The one I can’t figure out is people letting their dogs off leash immediately outside the leash-free area > It’s incredibly selfish [of them] I’d say you’ve figured it out pretty well, actually
I know why they do it. The enclosed dog park areas are often muddy or messy with the occasional owner who doesn't pick up the poop, and so some owners prefer to not let their dog in because they don't want to have to wash their dog or their car interior. Also, the other dogs in there could be dangerous (or maybe their own dog is reactive) and you don't know it and don't want to risk it. It also puts you into potential conflict with other dog owners and most people don't like confrontation (and the worst dog owners are real assholes and so if there is an issue there is a high likelihood of having to deal with one of those people.) More, bigger, and better off-leash areas would mitigate this, but let's face it: there will never be enough. There isn't even enough for humans.
> It also puts you into potential conflict with other dog owners and most people don't like confrontation (and the worst dog owners are real assholes and so if there is an issue there is a high likelihood of having to deal with one of those people.) I would say this is a bigger reason in my own experience. Certain dog owners treat the dog park as their (the owner) social club and don't pay attention or just straight up ignore their dog practicing negative social behavior and instead focus on talking to other dog owners. Some dogs will obsess over other dogs (mounting/humping/overly rough play for the other dog) even if the other dog has shown disinterest/displeasure in that dog. So you reach out to the owners of the dog. Some owners will correct/leash/take the dog out of the park. Others will make a half ass attempt to stop the negative behavior of their dog but go back to socializing with other humans and ignoring their dog. **This isn't to excuse offleash dogs in non offleash areas as there is no execuse.** Just to explain they why you may see that.
The idea that people are getting dogs when they know they don't have any space for them to run is what's crazy. Like you know the city isn't accomodating them but you'll still get one and make everyone else have to deal with it. I love dogs but I would never force one to live city life in a city that has no room for them. That's kind of mean.
i'll caveat this with if your dog is aggressive, not trained, has a high prey drive, maybe don't let them off leash ever.
Exactly. It’s not hard. We don’t take our dog to off leash parks because he can be unpredictable around other dogs. What we did do is get him a 50’ lead we can put him on. We’ll take him to an empty field/park and let him run around on it but if other dogs or kids etc. come we’ll shorten up the leash to an appropriate distance.
My dog has also become a bit unpredictable around dogs too. So we’ve started doing the same. Long line and recall her back and shorten the leash if anyone comes around. Very easy. She’s happy. We’re happy. So much less stress when I know she’s safe and others are safe.
The worst are people who walk into baseball diamonds while we're already there with our kids and let their dogs loose. Then I got to spend the next 10 minutes trying to get the ball from the dog. I agree that there aren't enough off-lease areas in the city. But dogs and kids don't necessarily mix (I say this as someone responsible for a dog in my house).
Yeah, I own a dog and won't take it to a park because of how many off leash dogs there are with no recall
My friend has an aggressive dog he has on leash and muzzled at all times and he had to stop going to his local park to walk because off leash dogs would disturb them all the time. He’s doing the right thing but some other dog could cause him issues. It’s ridiculous. “BUT HE’S REALLY FRIENDLY!”
I'm even cautious *in* off leash areas. Be aware of your own dog's reactivity and that of other dogs. If it comes to it, leash and remove from the situation.
Some people bring mal-adjusted (rescue) dogs to off leash parks to try to socalize them. Really they need specialized rehab training which is expensive
Alas, there will never be enough dog parks to overcome the convenience (laziness) factor of a local park, or heck even local school grounds. Most yards in the city are too small for a dog to really run around in, and of course there are many apartment/condo dwellers with dogs. Even if you increase the number of dog parks I know a lot of dog owners avoid them because it's basically a minefield. You never know what dogs are aggressive/reactive. You never know which owners are bad or unreasonable. And so to avoid those headaches/dangers they avoid the dog parks entirely and prefer to use a local park where they either know all the dogs/owners, or think they can stay far enough away from others that it's not a problem. It's not an easy problem to try solve. So many dogs, inadequate private space, and way too many people being lazy or naive about problems their dogs may cause.
Why don't we massively increase the cost of a dog license in the City so we had more money to pay for dog facilities and fewer dogs
But my dog won’t hurt anyone…
If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard "OMG, they've never done this before!", I could afford to grocery shop at Loblaws.
Yeah my dog is great at the off leash, but she's leash reactive! Like just because your dog is fine being off leash, doesn't mean everyone else's dog is fine with it.
check out jimmie simpson park. the city could fund operations for a year if they sent a by law officer there for a day.
Sending a bylaw officer to Trinity Bellwoods when it's warm would yield similar results.
They’re at TB regularly and give out tickets pretty regularly. About half of the times I’ve been there with my dog they’ve come to check if he has tags.
Allen Gardens would like a word (and it HAS a dog park)
There's a an aggressive dog living in that encampment and it's never leashed.
I had to stop taking my dogs there because of the madness, my (leashed) dogs were attacked multiple times
Send an officer down to the Brickworks. Easy money !
Off-leash in the Brickworks is particularly obnoxious because it's supposed to be a protected natural area. Off-leash dogs annoy, frighten, and kill the birds and other wildlife. Plus, there's a good-sized off-leash area right next to the parking area.
This is exactly like High Park. Gigantic dog park, supposed to be a protected natural area, but people insist on having offleash dogs all over the protected area.
Dude, High Park itself has full of morons letting their dogs run free...
Laughs in Corktown Commons
This was my first thought every single time I have been there a minimum of 5 dogs are off leash They desperately need a fenced in area there
I’m so annoyed by that too. They have their little groups and they have them all off leash. Especially last summer where that whole south side of the park is full of holes and Sundays there is a children’s soccer league that plays. So it’s avoiding dog crap and dog ditches
Any park, really, except for the "parks" that are just a bench and a few rolls of sod. Even the non-park grassy areas, like the hydro right of way north of Finch, thar runs more or less from Bathurst to the middle of Scarborough. It's clearly marked as private property, no trespassing, no dogs allowed, and so on, but seems to always be used as a dog run. And while they're at it, go after people who put bag after bag of household garbage in the bins in the park because they're too cheap to buy a larger bin for their house.
Or the people who routinely dump their garbage, mattresses and construction waste in the hydro corridor.
Norwood would be a gold mine for sure
Also the park or grassy area near woodbine beach Dogs always off of leash On the boardwalk too
People in dentonia park ride bikes around at full speed with their off leash dogs behind them. One of the dogs was dog aggressive and went after other dogs. Dude would ride off when that happened after corralling his dog, but I haven't seen that dog in a while so I suppose he finally got caught. And then got another similarly aggressive breed and did the same thing (however this dog is neutered) When I had a dog, if I asked someone with an uncontrolled dog that was harassing my on leash dog to control their dog, I'd be yelled at. Someone else was threatened and had to call the authorities because the owner was STALKING HER. They do a blitz now and then, the off leash dogs go somewhere else, but then they are back a month later.
Same with David Balfour Park. They closed the park for years to do renovations to the reservoir and didn’t put in a dog park when they reopened it. Now the top of the reservoir is an unofficial off-leash area.
To be clear the dog owners are in the wrong here, but I live next to the park and it's quite big. It seems like such an easy solution to just put a dog run in. Instead they have a fenced in "no dogs allowed" garden. People should follow the rules regardless, but it does also seem like poor planning.
I agree! I’d love a dog park there - even if it was in the lower section if dog pee is a concern on the roof of the reservoir, that would be an improvement. I hate when I’m walking the track and random dogs run up to me and ignore their owners calling them (and I’m someone that *likes* dogs!). When I dog sit, I take them down to Ramsden to run around.
Send one to Ryerson’s quad and St James Park too.
Ive always hated "oh dont worry my dogs are friendly! They wouldnt hurt anyone!" Meanwhile their multiple 100lb offleash dogs are sprinting in circles around me and my leashed dog, and getting closer and closer putting their paws on my 20lb weiner dogs back. When my weiner dog turns to bite your dog after he gets stomped on, suddenly hes in even more danger. I dont give a shit how friendly your dog is, if you are not in physical control of your animal than any physical altercation your dog instigates or is victim to is in my eyes 100% your fault. Letting your dog freely run up on untrained BUT RESTRAINED dogs is the fault of the offleash owner not the person who has their animals under physical control.
Yeah.. it's like what my mother taught me about driving. "I'm not worried about my driving, I'm worried about other drivers." I saw first hand one time a guy walking his sizeable dog, obedient and muzzled. Off-leash dog comes running over, playfully jumping around, and this poor guy's dog starts chomping at the bit, trying its hardest to snarl and lunge. The guy was strong and had full control, but his dog was losing it. He just had to stand there gripping the leash, shouting at the other people, "PLEASE CALL OFF YOUR DOG. PLEASE CONTROL YOUR DOG." Like you said, "Oh, it's okay! He's friendly!" Are you fricking brain-dead? Yours may be but the other one isn't and that is 100% on you.
Like letting your child play beside a bonfire because they are "more mature than you think" and then blaming the fire when they get burnt
Nice to hear it from a dog owner. Usually when I point this out as a safety issue about my human children, I’m met with outright hostility. I recently encountered a woman whose off leash dog was so out of control for so long that she didn’t notice things spilling out of her bag. I helped gather up her scattered belongings. I brought her phone and things over, and casually gave directions to the nearest off leash park, two blocks away. Fuck you she says as she takes back the phone that I recovered for her. Never have I felt such a strong urge to frisbee a cell phone
Another dog owner here. Honestly the people who let their dogs off leash in public parks are not the best socially. I don't mean socially awkward, I mean they just suck at being part of society. Of course she'd say fuck you... you had just implied she had to follow the same laws as everyone else.
Honestly fuck that woman I would have reported her if I were you.
My wife’s comeback to “my dog is friendly” is “well I’m not”.
Yeah even if their friendly, they can still pummel you, which has happened a handful of times to me where they knock me down like a bowling pin (I’m petite). Also I’m allergic, so I don’t want your dogs slobbery kisses mixed with it’s fur on me so I can enjoy having my eyes tear and swell up, sneeze constantly and itch like hell on my way home.
My dog doesn't like other dogs. When an off leash dog approaches mine and the owner says "my dogs friendly!" I've had to say too many times "my dog isn't".
This is basically my response too 😅 "she's picky about friends, you should call your dog back"
My reaction to "she's friendly!" is "every asshole says the same fuckin' thing".
I like “well I’m *not* friendly”
Had 3 offleash dogs surround ours in a park, with two of them jumping on him and mounting him. They were with a dog walker. Husband yelled at the dog walker that he should leash the dogs and instead of apologizing, he told my husband not to yell at him.
I carry dog spray. It's legal. Sold at Canadian Tire. No long term effects on dogs.
Ugh, this drives me nuts! I have 2 dogs, one I've had since a puppy and a rescue I adopted. While the 1st dog is socialized and calm, the other is still kind of a hot mess (but shes learning/healing). People will let their "friendly dog" come up to mine, and I struggle keeping the rescue from attacking the unknown dog, and then potentially aggressing my calm dog after getting stirred up. Pain in the ass! Some parents with kids too are out of their minds. The number of times I have to tell a child and their parent to back off aftering running up to us and trying to pet my dogs is wild. I'm thinking if buying a "fuck off" vest or something for her while she's training.
I'm just soooo sick of stepping in dog poop when I'm throwing a baseball around with my kids. During the day it's unofficially used as an off leash dog park and nobody is watching their dogs very close to see if they poop.
I own a dog and bring extra crap bags with me on walks through my local park and pick up the numerous turds left by selfish pricks who let their dog go everywhere and don't pick up. If I se them I politely ask them to go back for it, I'll even point it out to them. Some are rude as hell and refuse, eff those people. Some days I wish it was legal to pelt them with their discarded detritus.
I do this too. Call em out and give them a bag and watch them awkwardly pick up their dog’s crap, like it’s the first time they’ve ever done it
🎶 did you ever know that you're my heeeeero
Or the dogs digging holes that become tripping hazards.
I’m annoyed about that with Corktown Commons. There is a peewee soccer league that trains there in the summer and scheduled community events and people let their dogs go free often. The tripping hazards are pretty bad
Ah the unspoken “rule” that if you are looking at your phone or talking to someone and don’t see your dog poop then you are immune from picking up the aforementioned poop.
I have two dogs and the stupidity of people leaving their dogs off leash astonishes me. Why not protect both your dogs and the people around you? All it takes is one squirrel for a dog to act crazy.
This was one of my biggest stressors when walking my dog. Toronto has soooo many irresponsible dog owners.
Every day at Bowmore school. Right by the playground and in the field where kids play. I’d volunteer to confront them along with others.
Westwood Middle School (pape/Mortimer area) the off-leash dog owners congregate there on weekends and threaten parents who ask them to leash their dogs. "I pay my taxes" is their entitled response.
Dog owners drive to that school specifically to meet up. I've seen over 20 gathered together on weekends. Both of my kids have been attacked by dogs in that school yard. I have so many stories about off leash dogs there... Last month an off leash dog charged at my kids as we were walking through the yard at Westwood. I confronted the owner and she said "oh yeah, my dog is really reactive around kids." I replied "So you let it off leash at a school?". She laughed at me and said "yep". Absolute trash.
Absolute trash
Malvern Highschool used to padlock it's field to keep the dogs out, but people would cut them off in the middle of the night.
I've honestly thought about this. Organizing the community to constantly confront and shame these people. Make this uncomfortably for them until they follow the rules. I'm really sick of it.
It blows me away. I walk by there at night and just about everyone runs their dogs through there when I'm walking by.
Nobody in Toronto follows laws or regulations or directives that they dont like. Shitty dog owners are one thing, but the issue is systemic. E-bikes are technically illegal, but you don’t see that enforced. You shouldn’t litter but I see people drop their Tim’s cup on the first newspaper stand they see; as if that’s somehow better than putting it in the street. I walk through Riverdale Park all the time, where many people let their dogs off leash. But right next to the sign that says dogs just be leashed at all times there’s another sign that says no cycling through the Park and I see people whizz past me every time. That is to say if we want more responsible dog ownership maybe people should just be more respectful of rules in general. Everyone in this city just thinks nothing has anything to do with them.
I’m in Japan right now and the rule following is just night and day with Toronto. Obviously that’s low hanging fruit as Japan is famous for its rules, but it’s just so sad seeing the nice things we could have (clean streets, no vandalism, functioning public works) if people didn’t treat Toronto like shit
Bingo.
agree! Partly is because there is absolutely ZERO enforcement on ANY rules (except parking lol). People can get away anything in this city.
Dog owners who don't leash their dogs are super ignorant. My mother (mid 50s) was knocked to the ground recently but a poodle, and nearly dislocated her shoulder. The man who's dog attacked her gave a half-ass "sorry" and didn't even bother to help my mother off the ground. That dog has a history of attacking people too which is even worse.
just another example of how entitled everyone has become in this city. its nuts.
In fairness, in Europe this is a chronic problem. Presumably the same elsewhere in the old world. Still stupid, but this clearly isn't new.
in toronto it is. especially post-pandemic. i've had a dog here for over a decade. it wasnt always like this. the sudden rise of everyone letting their dog off leash everywhere is definitely a relatively recent issue.
If you call animal control and the dog owner sticks around for an hour and doesn't run away, they will show up and hand them a ticket. On a weekday. That's the problem is that everyone does this on weekends, but the enforcers don't work on weekends.
Oh they do it every day, at least in my neighbourhood
They do it everyday right at 5 pm when there is a legit dog park a few blocks away
Dog owners should be responsible for the actions of their dogs. If the dog attacks someone, the owner gets charged with assault and battery.
Partner just got attacked by a unleashed dog yesterday while out with our dog. Luckily no one was hurt but it was in a parking lot outside of a park. It’s ridiculous that people refuse to leash even with cars present, especially when their dog is as big as a human being
Dog owner. Agree that dogs should be on leash unless in leash free zones. There are now several parks that I can't walk through with my dog because other owners choose to let their dogs roam free. And when their dog runs up and antagonizes mine, their response "oh he/she is just saying hello". It's incredibly selfish and a safety risk for everyone involved: the off-leash dogs, their owners, and anyone else passing by. It's actually very annoying that the city does not enforce the leash by-laws.
every fucking park. he's friendly btw
Bylaw enforcers should hang around the slackline poles in Trinity Bellwoods. No shortage of assholes there who think the dog-leash rules don't apply to them.
There are a lot of entitled, shitbag dog owners in this city. It has been getting worse and worse for years now
HE’S JUST FRIENDLY! I don’t understand why dog owners think that’s a get out of jail free card for their dogs’ bad behaviour. Idgaf how friendly your dog is, I don’t want it near me. I’m not scared either, I just don’t like it. Period. Dog owners don’t seem to understand the concept of consent at all. When the leash is slack (IF there’s a leash) and that thing is in my personal space I see red.
Kudos for them for their politeness. My idea of non confrontational is usually just yelling out 'PUT YOUR DOG ON A LEASH!' From a distance ..without even facing them so they feel less confronted. Most just hurriedly comply out of justified shame. Other tactic is the stare down..and look of disgusting at the dog. Many feel the shame and comply that way too. Last resort is my trusty coyote spray. I have yet to reach for it but wouldn't hesitate if I felt threatened.
I am so fucking over dog owners in this city.
Come down to Burlington. Every park is treated as off leash. Sickening
What about the upstanding citizens who let their dogs off leash on city sidewalks ? “They’re friendly” is a common explanation
David Balfour park needs some serious law enforcement…
I walked through a downtown park last week and saw several large dogs off lease with a playground nearby. Kids were running around. There was no fence separation between the playground and park. Just a matter of time before another kid is attacked.
I say this as a dog owner, dog owners are wack haha. Multiple times in the early stages of training my dog, I would go into off leash areas with the leash on just so I could get a feel of the place and how my dog reacts… multiple people would come up to me and tell me to take off the leash as if I’m abusing my dog by not letting it run off out of control
I was jogging in Taylor Creek and saw a lady with 5 dogs off leash. They chased after me. I yelled at her to put them on a leash and she yelled… “well stop running!”
That's my commute, I often see dog walkers letting multiple dogs chase the ducks and disturb the creatures on the banks of the creek. Not cool.
lmao she sounds like a total beech
Very Beachy indeed
Just start taking dogs away if they're off leash. If the owners want them back, they present ID, take their ticket and hopefully learn a lesson.
Seriously - this is the way. Whatever happened to having dog catchers? *That used to be an actual job!*
Bring some extra leashes and gather up some unleashes dogs — you’re providing a service to the city
They should check out Alexander Muir gardens and Blythwood Ravine. I have seen so many keep them off-leash outside of the off-leash area. But nothing gives me more anxiety than dogs kept off-leash around the Yonge and Eg area. They are just asking for it.
I have a giant breed dog. He is a teddy bear. I would never dream of having him off-leash anywhere but a designated off-leash park because public parks are space for other people too and the world does not revolve around me. Your dog is friendly? Great. That is irrelevant to someone who is terrified of dogs. People can claim dogs are a part of living in a city with others, and they are totally right… but that is why there are literally by-laws requiring your dog to be leashed. Because, regardless of whether or not dogs are permitted various places, there are always those entitled dog owners out there that decide it doesn’t apply to them or their dogs. They take their non-service dogs into grocery stores. They take them to festival grounds that are specifically pet-free… there is no escaping dogs when you live in a city, so the least people can do is ensure they’re leashed so that people living with a phobia can have some measure of assurance when having to face their fears. I know that my dog is lovely. I know he could literally be trampled on by a gaggle of children and not even flinch. Other people don’t know that, and it isn’t their problem to know that. It is my problem, as a dog owner, to make sure my dog behaves well in public and that I am adhering to rules put in place to make spaces safe and enjoyable for everyone. Also, another pet peeve… If you can’t be bothered to clean up a dog’s poop, don’t get a dog. I have to bring upwards of six bags with me on walks to ensure I have capacity to clean up anything my dog does. If I can manage this, people with dogs that are 30 pounds or under can surely manage to clean up their dog’s poop. If you don’t clean up your dog’s poop, you are an asshole. There is no question.
It’s an entitlement issue. To be honest, owning a large dog in such a loud jarring city to begin with seems a bit out of touch with what’s best for the animal, couple that with the fact that most of the people who have the time and money to drive their dogs to the park are likely affluent, and truly don’t care about people, because as far as they are concerned, parks exist for their dogs
We once intervened to stop a small off leash dog from getting into a fight with a MASSIVE raccoon at the brickworks… owner was far away and more focused on chatting with friends. No thank you, didn’t leash the dog afterwards….
I see dogs pee and crap in playground sandboxes. And owners get mad when I tell them to keep their dogs away from the kids in general.
Dog owners routinely use the track and yard of my school as a leash-free zone. I see them walking out every morning, eyes averted. Selfish assholes. Kids sit on that grass.
Even on streets. I got attacked once and yet this dog owner refuses to put dog on leash. Didn't take his info when it happened. Next time I saw him, again dog was not on leash. I asked for his info for health concerns. Told me to F off, took out my video and started recording, chased and took a swing me twice, and once it connected, I tried to block with one hand but stumbled back. Got it all on video. I followed him (from a distance) and saw him get into a house, which I assume is his house because he then got out with his dog on leash. Guess what animal services said, "oh don't go on that route, just to be safe". Guess what the police said, "just don't go on that route. There's nothing we can do. We need his name and address. You can't be sure that that is where he lives" So, what, am I supposed to be like "Oh hey there bud. Sorry, I know your dog attacked me, and then you assaulted me, now can I get your name and address? Also, I saw you go in that house, but can I get your driver's license. I"d like to report you".
The city needs to do more to enforce dogs off leash.
Dog owners are like bike riders, 95 percent obey and follow the rules, but it's that 5 percent that ruin the repartition of the rest.
i was at canadian a few days ago and someone brought in an unleash pitbull into the store....scare the shit out of me
Do you mean Canadian Tire? They are a dog friendly store but obviously the dog should be leashed and under control
That dog shouldn’t be anywhere in the province considering it’s illegal
Ah, that's true. I didn't register the dog breed when I originally read the comment.
yeah sorry i meant canadian tire, i also didn't know they were dog friendly store too! but yeah this one was unleashed and I was a bit scare it would smell my dogs on me
Yup. Yesterday, I was driving by moss Park with a ton of people everywhere. 2 dogs just roaming free. I don't understand people with dogs in the city. Let them shit every where without picking it up right on the fuckin side walks and just let them roam free in public parks
Had a dog rush me and my fiance twice and I had to kick it to shoo it away. Then owners gave me a weird look and acted like their dogs were somehow victims. Bunch of fuckin twats.
High Park is the absolute worst for this. You just walk into the park from any point and you'll see tons of dogs off leash. Literally a week ago I was walking along Spring Road and someone's dog runs up to me snarling and I recoil cause I don't know if this dog is having a laugh, or about to take my arm off so I yell at the douche, is your dog safe!? And he's like 'ya, she's fine' and I'm like dude, your dog just ran up to me snarling. If I didn't know better and ran away, that's the kind of dog that would chase. I called the dude an asshole and told him to leash his dumb dog up, but of course he didn't listen because FOR WHATEVER REASON people think putting their dog on a leash is like a personal afront . Like, they're so insecure and fragile that telling them to leash up their dog enrages them. Anyway, that's like the third time that happened to me in high park. Not to mention the dogs that are off leash and have zero recall.
I’ve also had three unpleasant encounters with dogs that should have been leashed. One dog jumped on me. I did not receive any payment for the cleaning bill. I was in too much shock. You can’t laser an approaching dog on a trail.
Spring Road is the designated off leash area. Read the map next time perhaps.
Off leash doesn't mean you can have dangerous dogs off leash or dogs that are untrained. There is still a responsibility from the owner to make sure their dogs aren't going to hurt people or other dogs. Furthermore, a quick walk in high park will illustrate my point, that the entire park is treated as 'off-leash'.
[удалено]
Sorauren Park is one example of the many parks that have taken a big chunk from everyone else and dedicated it to off-leash dogs. Of course, at any time, the majority of off-leash dogs are not in the dog park at all but are running around shitting on, and tearing up, the grass used by ten thousand good neighbors for actual designated purposes.
As a jogger, the frequency of poorly trained unleashed dogs running up to me while their owner either coos or is on their phone is infuriating. Like your dog is a stranger to me, idk that its friendly. Also it almost tripped me.
I live in Muskoka now, and run trails here regularly. It's uncommon to see any dog actually on a leash ever, but it has never been a problem in the seven years I've lived here. The dogs are always chill, and don't even glance at me, they are under full control. Similar thing in BC on trails. I'm fine with this. But when I lived in the city, dogs coming at me was a regular problem. I don't know why there would be any difference. The problem here with dogs is when you are cycling on country roads. It's common for people to leave their dogs loose, and they will chase you down the road.
> I don't know why there would be any difference. dogs up north are accustomed to being off-leash and free to roam and explore as they see fit dogs in the city are always "held back" by their leashes, left to play in their little postage-stamp sized backyards, and when they get a taste of freedom, they get overstimulated and don't know how to keep their shit together
I just don't understand the arrogance/entitlement of certain dog owners. I know my dog is well behaved but I don't feel compelled in any way to let it walk off-leashed with me. That would be stupid. Saw an idiot walking a Great Dane on Queen St OFF-LEASH. The guy was off his rocker (drugs), so confronting him not really an option because who knows. So this fool continues to walk around with a Great Dane.
Sometimes I hate Toronto
Our dog was mauled by another in the neighborhood in January. We finally get him healed up and take him to our local park. There is a woman there with what looks like a husky golden mix. No leash. A toy and a ball. Dog park in the back of the park, bust she has to play with her dog in the main entry walkway. She throws the toy up a hill and her dog goes to get it. The ball is in the middle if the paved walk. Our dog is walking near it and her dog comes running down the hill past her and starts posturing like he wants to attack our young dog. If our dog had made a dumb move, he would have been toast. My husband pulls our dog's leash tight to him and the dog is standing stiff legged. The woman comes up and says that he is just worried our dog will touch his ball. My husband tells her to leash her dog. I said we just paid $3000 in vet bills because of a dog attack, and we don't want another. She takes the dog's ball, leashes her dog, and when we look back at her after walking away, she is playing fetch with her dog on the main path without holding the leash. When we were leaving, there was another dog off leash. He was bothering others, and we steered clear. In a park with a huge off leash dog park. We won't be back.
One reason i keep something pointy on me... If an aggressive dog attacks me, I'm not trusting its owner to be able to hold it back I love dogs but I'm stabbing that beast
This is a huge pet peeve of mine and my wife’s. We have two small boys and are sick and tired of the number of dogs off leash at the park. There are off leash parks. Go there. I love dogs and animals in general but if one bites my kid, it’s going to get messed up. I know I’ll lose my mind. I’m so beyond frustrated with these ignorant assholes. We have a sub ten pound dog. Even when she runs outside we’re fast to put her back inside. She likely wouldn’t hurt anyone but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t scare a small child and give them anxiety around other dogs. All dogs are well behaved until they aren’t. Pit bull breeds are rampant in our community and they’re super nice until one little thing goes wrong then it’s a disaster. I could go on about my frustrations here but all cities need to clamp down on this. Nine times out of ten it’s a child who suffers because of these shitty peoples actions.
Riverdale park has an off leash area down the hill but it's a cesspool of reactive dogs with no recall skills and bad owners who don't pay attention. For my rescue pup, I'd rather for her to not have that exposure.
I have a coworker who is a first-time dog owner AND they have a skittish and reactive rescue dog that is very large, has bad recall, and isn't under their control. They have been sending me and other coworkers videos of their dog running off-leash in the eastern, baseball diamond, part of Bellwoods. I said that that area of Bellwoods is not the off-leash area and they said they knew. Facepalm. The humans who do this shit know what they're doing and they don't care/feel entitled/whatever. I keep my dog on a leash.
Toronto needs more large green parks and spaces for people and pets alike. That's a huge part of the issue. Instead, the only park downtown gets ruined with "TTC access" points no one needed ir asked for. New "parkettes" are the size of peanuts with scrawny twigs, if any. Also, why do people think its ok to get a dog, any size, if they live with no immidiate access to dog parks ? Many dont own cars, too. Dogs need daily exercise, they enjoy running and playing, it's part of healthy life style to them. Instead, the owners work all day and then rush those stressed-out dogs to sh t on concrete sidewalks. Why subject dogs, just innocent animals, btw to living unnatural, sad lives if you know you can't provide adequate rec activities for them... Selfish inconsiderate people. I love dogs and never get mad at them. It's the owners.
> Toronto needs more large green parks and spaces for people and pets alike. The off-leash dog park map for Etobicoke is *sparse*. There's one single off-leash dog park north of Bloor for the entirety of Etobicoke. That's it.
Sorry best we can do is a patch of gravel, maybe dirt if feeling generous. The only good places are high park and Sherwood, have actual dog trails
I used to live on a busy street, Queen W. We frequently saw people walking their dogs, thinking how cool they were because they didn't have a leash. It was funny because one day I told my partner that this is the stupidest behaviour. It looks cool, but even if it's well trained, it might see a squirrel or something and take off. Funny enough, the literal next day we see this happen. The dog just takes off, runs across rush hour traffic (luckily it wasn't moving so the dog was fine) she's yelling "somebody grab that dog." The dog just all of a sudden took off, probably sprinted like 3 blocks. It's just shitty entitled behaviour.
The inverse of this actually happens at Sherwood Park where in the designated off leash area which is a nice walk through a wooded trail people get upset at dogs off leash
I've had to yell at people that have tried to bike through the park on a weekend when it was filled with dogs...
I learned today that it's legal to have your dog off leash on your unfenced property. As long as the dog is on YOUR property, it's fine. So the house up the street from me where they let their dogs out front to defecate unsupervised, unleashed and unfenced, well that's just FINE. Gotta wait for the dogs to react to my leash reactive dog, thus sparking a fight, before bylaw will do anything. As I'm not willing to use my dog as bait, this is yet another direction I can no longer take my dog. But going south takes me closer to a park that is used as an off leash space (it shouldn't be, of course) and dogs have launched themselves out of THAT park to attack us. Our walking path narrows constantly. We just want to be safe. Please leash your dogs, people.
Same with tracks. It’s not okay to have your off leash mutt race around people running/cycling/walking. We finally found a small spot where cars aren’t doing their damnest to kill us. Please respect this one little rule (dogs are banned anyway).
This stuff never gets enforced by police, same goes with littering. We pay lots of tax dollars into cleaning up litter (including dog poop bags) but then police don't ticket people. They should make a law that if a person is caught littering, they need to pay a fine and also do community service for a month to clean litter at an assigned location (maybe the location the person littered at) and report to a supervisor when complete each time.
I’ve called 311 about this issue and they told me they would send an enforcement officer in 3-5 business days, that is if they decided it’s warranted. So basically zero enforcement. The tickets are like $500, the city could make a killing handing out fines and if they did it regularly it would work as a deterrent. For the same reason people generally don’t block hydrants or run red lights - they fear the repercussions.
These people are heroes No one is more entitled than a Toronto dog owner
I was walking through a public park and a dog that was off leash was barking and walking towards me and the owner actually told me to walk/run away so the dog can stop. Luckily enough I’m quite comfortable with dogs and so I stopped and gave the owner an earful. The dog realized I wasn’t afraid and retreated. This should be a simple municipal bylaw
There’s a woman who routinely walks a very very large and powerful dog off its leash in the Kipling and Bloor area - on the sidewalks, where people and other dogs are. There was a cop sitting at the light - and suddenly she put the dog on its leash - I asked her why she suddenly put it on when she saw the cop. Her reply was “No. Not because of that. But because sometimes he doesn’t listen.” Oh great. TPS just drove off btw. TPS if you’re listening. Do your job.
There are two idiot couples by Charlotte Maher Park who always let their dogs run around the park without a leash. They're not dangerous breeds per se but it's still irresponsible especially when there's a kids' playground in there
The problem with enforcement is that half of council hates spending money on anything, and the other half wants 5 years of community consultations before they come to any sort of decision. The end result of this will be the 2027 city budget will have funding for two new enforcement officers and they'll treat it like a victory
Yeah, my dog isn't particularly friendly towards other animals, especially when he's on a leash. I used to feel awkward when people let their dogs off the leash to approach us, now I just tell them to get their dogs before mine does. It's weird how many people still roll the dice, but not really my problem
What I dream about is an honest to goodness walking trail dog park, similar to high park, but just a trail. My dogs don’t play with other dogs, so most dog parks are useless for us. And having a dog on leash at a regular place is fine, but not for exercise. I try and find places that are not official anything, and walk my pups there. But, it can be a little intimidating walking alone, especially in winter when it’s dark so early. I know that the hydro lanes are looking at being developed and I’m hoping I can propose such an idea, because it would be ideal.
Etobicoke Creek off-leash is like this. Unfortunately closed until later this year…
TBH I’ve found myself getting too lenient on this. Right outside our building I’ll usually let my little guy go off leash (or rather, drop the leash) since it feels like our front lawn and it’s not beside an arterial. Otherwise I’m sort of jogging alongside him as he does his poo trot. But I’ve also now seen people with dogs cross the street when they see my dog because they just don’t know whether he can be trusted not to approach. Not fair to them. This stuff’s a good reminder.
[удалено]
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/withrow-dog-was-poisoned-police-1.516232
And I have already tried most of them. The most disappointing is the beaches hands down.
Dog owner. Agree that dogs should be on leash unless in leash free zones. There are now several parks that I can't walk through with my dog because other owners choose to let their dogs roam free. And when their dog runs up and antagonizes mine, their response "oh he/she is just saying hello". It's incredibly selfish and a safety risk for everyone involved: the off-leash dogs, their owners, and anyone else passing by. It's actually very annoying that the city does not enforce the leash by-laws.
We live in a [rude, arrogant, selfish, uncaring] society
My 76 year old neighbour walks her dog off leash around the neighbourhood. He walks behind her so she doesn't always have her sights on him. I think she controls him by putting a treat in her pocket. She walks down the middle of the street and the dog follows her down the middle. Quite a few times I saw cars coming up to the dog and he doesn't move. When they honk at him she gives them the finger. She crosses the Danforth with him off leash and not at a traffic light either. I have told her multiple times that it is a $350 fine if she gets caught with a dog off leash but she says she had her previous dog for 15 years and no one has ever issued her a ticket and she doesn't expect any now. She used to watch my dogs for me but I caught her trying to train my dogs to walk off leash - my dogs are terriers and one squirrel will drive their prey instinct crazy. I wish bylaw enforcement was more efficient because they said they will send someone in 2 weeks. They aren't going to hang around several hours and wait for her to walk her dog.
As someone who is currently raising a reactive dog, I will fully admit to learning the hard way to keep him leashed at all times when we leave the house. I will also admit that it was 100 per cent easier as a human to let my dog off leash (easier in this case also means L A ZY). We are working on our leash skills and avoiding people, dogs and other triggers but it breaks my heart when we have to change course because someone else’s dog is charging us off leash. It’s truly a disaster waiting to happen and I can’t stand it when the response from the other owner is “oh my dog is so friendly” 🚩 🚩 do we forget animals have agency as well?!
As a dog owner, off leash dogs drive me nuts. Had a woman throw a ball for her off leash dog inches from my two Akitas. One of my dogs lunged and got a piece of her dog. She cursed me out. My dogs are well trained, well behaved and I never let them off leash in public.
So many relevant comments! My view is that the city over many years of lenient approach to dog ownership and little to no enforcement of them adopted rules actually help create and normalize what id today a dog crisis. With only about 25% of dogs being licensed, micro-chipping mandated only for dangerous dogs, not existing enforcement (bylaws are to few, plus have no powers to ask for ID), 3 dogs per household legal (do we need 3 dogs in city?), no relevant education on dogs impacts (bites to humans, other pets, harm to wildlife, transmission of pathogens to and from wildlife, water pollution, trampling and harm to sensitive habitats, etc.). The city adopted laws into Municipal Code that are not implemented, such as where dogs are prohibited § 608-34. Dogs. Dog owners so far were left to do what they like as opposed the city educating, implementing and enforcing the laws. We often hear that more off leash areas is needed for things to get better but how does this reflect on fast growing city with scarcity of green spaces and sensitive habitats not being compatible with dogs? We all need nature first of all and nature deficit looms high in our city.
And some also feel entitled to let their dogs off leash and poop in school grounds!