With weather warming and the outdoors beckoning, more and more people and their four-legged friends can be found on Cochrane’s pathways and off-leash parks.
Cochrane’s outdoor trail system and pet friendly atmosphere, which includes two off-leash areas for frantic fury canines to frolic about, is a huge draw for area residents as well as those in Calgary.
In any setting where people and animals co-mingle, there has to be an understanding of etiquette and respect for the rules.
Laurie Drukier, senior communications advisor for the Town of Cochrane, said the responsibilities of pet owners while at one of the off-leash parks is not simply a policy, they are part of the town’s Animal Bylaw and they apply to both off-leash areas and all public spaces.
One of the bylaw’s stipulations is that owners must have control of their dogs at all times – capable of responding to voice, sound or sight commands.
Cochrane resident Tom Fox has expressed concern over some dog owners’ ability to control their canines at the off-leash park, telling the Eagle that he was ‘jumped on’ by a dog a few months back.
Fox claims he was then treated rudely by the dog’s owner, and has since been concerned with what he believes is a confrontational culture in Cochrane between dog and non-dog owners.
Drukier said Cochrane’s municipal enforcement encourages responsible pet ownership through licensing, public education and enforcement.
“The goal is to help pet owners care responsibly for their pets and to ensure that our animal population enjoys a healthy, safe and harmonious coexistence with the residents of Cochrane,” said Drukier. “This includes promoting safe enjoyment of the off-leash area.”
In addition to keeping pets under control, the town’s Animal Bylaw also states that owners must have a leash ready to use and are required to leash and remove their pet if it is acting aggressively.
Dogs must also display a current Town of Cochrane licence and have up-to-date vaccinations. Owners are obligated to carry waste bags and immediately clean up after their pet.
This past Saturday (April 26) a group of Cochrane pet owners held the first ‘Spring Poopapalooza,’ cleaning dog refuse from the off-leash park next to Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
“Municipal enforcement patrols all pathways in town as time permits,” said Drukier, “certainly more at this time of year, including the pathways and off-leash area.”
Fines for failing to pick up after your pet start at $200.
Drukier added that when there is a call about an animal issue anywhere in Cochrane, municipal enforcement investigate and follow up on the incident.
One of Fox’s concerns when it comes to unruly off-leash dogs is the potential for injury, and pointed to an incident in Calgary a couple weeks ago when a woman was attacked by a pit bull, severely injured and is now recovering in Foothills Hospital.
Cochrane experienced its own dog attack incident Jan. 12, 2013, when a then-seven-year-old Tyler Benjamin had his right cheek bitten off by pit bull in his home.
As of Jan. 10, 2014, there were 3,995 active dog and cat licences in Cochrane.
Last year, the town passed an amendment to the Animal Bylaw adding a section for ‘nuisance’ animals, which gives the town the authority to increase fines for bylaw infractions, such as running at-large or barking.
Drukier said the bylaw also has a section about threatening behaviour and how it is properly dealt with.
