Where should pets be allowed?

CBC News

House Member
Sep 26, 2006
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Fredericton councillors may have moved in the right direction by altering a bylaw amendment that limits where dogs can be walked, but some pet owners are still concerned the rules are too broad.
The amendment will ban dogs from sports fields, swimming areas and playgrounds owned and operated by the city. In its original form, the amendment would have left the door open to a ban on dogs in municipal parks, which created protest among some of the capital's pet owners.
Under the new bylaw, pet owners will still be able to walk theirs dogs in parks and on public pathways but pets won't be able to run loose in areas where children are playing.
Coun. David Kelly said the bylaw will be used to keep dogs off sports fields being used by children.
City staff will now have to determine the fines for breaking the bylaw, Kelly said.
Where should pets be allowed? Does the ban go too far?


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Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
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Yeah bans and bylaws. Does anyone actually bother obeying these things?
I don't know anyone who let's their dog loose in the school yard when the kids are out for recess. But there sure is a lot of dog crap in the field just the same. Doesn't make much difference to go through the pomp and ceremony of making a bylaw if no one bothers to enforce it.

Good dog owners don't let their dogs bother people in the first place and bad dog owners don't much care if the dog bothers you, if there is a bylaw about it or if you just stepped in their dogs crap. So go on wag your finger and stomp your foot for all the good it will do.

Why is it that politicians just can't manage to make sense of anything to do with people living together in a community?
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
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Coun. David Kelly said the bylaw will be used to keep dogs off sports fields being used by children.

Why are these children not in school? Why are they allowed to play in the dogs play area.? Dog owners pay the taxes of this country, people should keep thier damn children at school or in the mall where they belong.
 

Risus

Genius
May 24, 2006
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Toronto
I agree with pet bans in certain areas, swimming areas and play grounds being a couple of them.
 

quandary121

Time Out
Apr 20, 2008
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When every where's covered in concrete, and you don't make provisions for people to walk there animals, it just goes to show how mad the world has become, you will be banning birds from crapping next ,inasmuch as i support the fact that children's play areas and playgrounds should be separated because of the chance of disease and blindness associated with dog mess and cat mess,to stop people from exercising there pets in the out doors is mad
pet owners will still be able to walk theirs dogs in parks and on public pathways

Where are these places .? not in built up areas thats for sure they have been making people pick up the animals mess here for years (ick) and do have bins to deposit the foul stuff in,but they are few and far between ,and to fine people geez, is that what people need more rules with penalty's attached ,if the moneys collected would go towards safer areas for the walkers to walk there pets, then yes. But if like i suspect it goes into government coffers then noway.
 

Scott Free

House Member
May 9, 2007
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Why are these children not in school? Why are they allowed to play in the dogs play area.? Dog owners pay the taxes of this country, people should keep thier damn children at school or in the mall where they belong.

Good point! :angryfire:

There are more pet owners than parents anyway; I thought we lived in a democracy!
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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My daughter has an extreme fear of animals. I watch her situation pretty closely. I don't usually see dogs running loose on playgrounds unless they are a great distance from other people. We find more problems with dog owners bringing dogs into establishments where they shouldn't be, like stores and inside schools. And I don't mean the seeing-eye variety.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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Edmonton's got pretty tight by-laws. No letting the dogs in the actual sand areas of the playgrounds (duh), no letting them run loose except in specified off-leash areas. Pick up after them or you can get dinged $125.

What I don't see here is loose dogs. Don't see dog **** all over the place. They're not insane about it, or unreasonable if they catch you letting your dog run loose on an empty soccer field, but, the bylaws seem to have worked like a charm.

They also have some programs that take some of the bite out of being a pet owner in a city with so many by-laws though. Off leash areas. Specific dog parks complete with ample garbage cans and crap bags. 'Free ride home' program that gives your dog one free pass a year for getting picked up if animal control can get them back home to you with no fuss. Free first year of licensing so long as your pet's spayed.

There has to be a certain amount of give and take.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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I have dogs. Two of my own and a third one that I walk with my two much of the time. I have common sense.
If your dog is in a public place where other people are, have it on a leash. If your animal defecates, pick it up.
I don't think I own a jacket that doesn't have a pocket full of bags just for that purpose. If you're going to have
a bylaw with respect to this, make it a choice of the animals owner to either pick it up or eat it, and I'm sure
they'll choose the first choice. Really though...make the fine $200 for a first offence, and incremental by
another $100 for every subsequent offence.

As far a banning dogs from school yards, how many adults are hanging out in the school yards (with dogs
or not) during the times that kids are around that this is an issue? Sounds pretty creepy. I have run my
dogs in school yards at night but never when anyone else is around. I prefer to take the dogs into the
industrial areas as they're usually (more or less) abandoned after 6pm, and I can run them off leash where
they can chase gophers and mice and rabbits. They have never caught a gopher or a rabbit but they love
trying. They do occasionally catch mice but that's not a bad thing in the city.

If the issue is an "at large" issue due to a lack of common sense with respect to owners using a leash in
a public place, I'm assuming Fredericton (and most other urban centres) already have leash laws so another
bylaw wouldn't make any difference. They could enforce what they already have on the books, and use that
same idea with respect to any fecal matter.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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As far a banning dogs from school yards, how many adults are hanging out in the school yards (with dogs
or not) during the times that kids are around that this is an issue?

Our community park and school park are shared. That park is never empty, be it school hours or 7PM, and people are there with their dogs regularly... it's their park too. You're just not allowed to have them off leash, or let them into the sand the equipment is in.
 

Risus

Genius
May 24, 2006
5,373
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Toronto
The problem is a lot of dog owners have no regard for other people and let their dogs run where ever they want even tho the law is dogs must be on leaches. They let them crap and don't clean up after them. Just no consideration for others. They give a bad reputation for all dog owners.
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
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The problem is a lot of dog owners have no regard for other people and let their dogs run where ever they want even tho the law is dogs must be on leaches. They let them crap and don't clean up after them. Just no consideration for others. They give a bad reputation for all dog owners.

It will be hard to find large leaches Risus but it could work.