For many years, pet owners have freely walked their dogs off leash through the trails of Crippen Regional Park. In fact, it's so common to see dogs running free that a leashed dog immediately makes people wonder why he is restrained. Is he vicious? Or maybe he just doesn't get along well with other dogs? Whatever the reason may be, in the end, the dog's temperament doesn't matter. The Metro Vancouver bylaw within the boundaries of Crippen Regional Park is clear. It states, "An owner shall not cause, permit or allow the animal to be unleashed. An owner of a dog may unleash the dog if within an area designated by posted notice as 'Dog Off Leash' or 'Leash Optional' and the owner keeps the dog under control at all times."
Within the park, there are signs indicating that dogs are required to be on leash and that Metro Vancouver will enforce the bylaw.
This bylaw isn't new. "The park has always been a leashed area and when complaints started to come in, Metro Vancouver responded withenforcing the bylaws that were already in existence," explains Tom McComb, Parks West Area's operations supervisor.An increase in dog bites had been reported by the public and a group of people had petitioned Bowen Island Municipal Council to support an off leash area. As a result, Metro Vancouver built a new fenced in area, a leash optional place, located in the meadow near the fish hatchery.
"Crippen Regional Park is a shared park and we are responsible for publicsafety, we need to respect those who aren't as comfortable around dogs," McComb said.
Protecting wildlife and sensitive environmental areas can also be minimized by leashing dogs. "The biggest issue in all parks relates to owners who don't pick up after their dogs.We do have some very responsible dog owners but many don't pick up. With dog waste, we get accumulative effects in the heavily used areas especially in hot weather which can make the visitor experienceunpleasant," says McComb.
Warnings have been given out to islanders over the past few months and fines for not leashing a dog within the boundaries of Crippen Regional Park come in at $250. "It is not our preference to give out tickets, we want people to voluntarily comply with the bylaw. We try and educate people first. However, if individuals repeatedly disregard the warnings,then officers are left with no choice but to ticket," McComb said. If you pay the fine early, you can get a discounted penalty of $190. Late fines will increase the amount payable to $310. For very grievous offenses at the extreme end of the range, a fine as high as $1,000 could be charged.
Pacific Spirit Regional Park located near the University of British Columbia has 763 hectares of land and approximately 73 Kilometers of off- leash trails for owners to walk their dogs in a controlled and respectful manner. Canine etiquette is strictly monitored in order to maintain this off-leash area within the park. "Pacific Spirit Regional Park is geographically different from Crippen Regional Park and there were no local options for a large, open, off-leash area. As a result, the park was divided into zones where no dogs are permitted, as well as leash optional and leash required trails.Pacific Spirit Regional Park offers dog management options that other parks cannot," explains McComb.
Most of the dogs on Bowen are well behaved. However, a fatal incident involving two dogs did occur in February 2012. Lynn and Keith Watson were walking their two Yorkshire Terriers when one of them was attacked by a much larger dog for no apparent reason. The owners, who witnessed the event, said it happened very quickly. They were devastated by the loss of their pet and the aggressive dog had to be put down.This occurred outside Crippen Park boundaries, where the Bowen Island Municipality's dog control bylaws are in effect. BIM Dog Control Bylaw #30 states, "Dogs are to be kept under control when on public property and to be on leash when in areas designated by the municipality." The bylaw also includes other restrictions such as no beach access for dogs during the peak summer season in July and August.
The dog park is officially open and presents an option for letting island pooches run unencumbered. For any questions, comments or concerns about the leash laws in Crippen Regional Park, please write to:West Area Park manager, 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby BC, V5H 4G8.
