Local senior Patrick Stapleton is concerned by the number of unleashed dogs on city trails - and the city's inaction on addressing the problem.
The 67-year-old regularly walks the Heritage River Trail network. After frequent encounters with unleashed dogs, Stapleton decided to start recording his encounters and reporting them to Prince George Bylaw Services.
"Every time I went for a walk, I was getting barked at, growled at and harassed by these dogs," he said. "Once it was really bad. Three very large dogs came running right at me and my girlfriend, and the owners had no control of them. I don't know what it is about dog owners that they seem to think they are immune to bylaws."
On 14 walks between April 4 and May 16, Stapleton encountered 133 dogs off leash. On one walk from Exploration Place to Cottonwood Island and back, Stapleton ran into 20 off-leash dogs.
Stapleton said he reported the off-leash dogs to Bylaw Services eight times between April 4 and April 25.
Information released to Stapleton under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act May 3 showed the city issued no tickets for unleashed dogs on the Heritage River Trail or LC Gunn Park Trail between April 1 and April 18.
"They [the city] doesn't seem to really care," Stapleton said. "When a government agency is advised of a hazard and does nothing, they are liable. There is lots of little kids walking with their parents. What is [the city's] position if one of those dogs attacks one of those kids, or a senior like me?"
City Bylaw Services manager Guy Gusdale said the city has limited resources to enforce its Animal Control Bylaw.
"We acknowledge that people aren't being responsible. [And] we're looking at ways we can improve that presence," Gusdale said. "[But] in terms of animal control staff, we have three full-time staff and one part-time staff. We have to prioritize."
Dog attacks and dogs at large without their owners -particularly near schools, playgrounds and other areas with children - are the top priorities for animal control officers, he said.
Having animal control officers patrolling the trails ties that officer up, sometimes for hours, he said, and means they are not available for emergency calls.
"You can't predict when those dog attacks are going to happen," he said. "You can go a few days with nothing... and then a week of two-three calls a day. And you have all the paperwork and everything else that goes with seizing a dog."
Tickets are only one enforcement tool used by animal control officers to enforce the city's Animal Control Bylaw, he added.
The fine for having a dog at large - including a dog off-leash in any public area except a designated off-leash dog park -is $100. That fine jumps to $500 if the dog has been designated a dangerous dog either through past behaviour or because it is one of the breeds designated. Dog breeds designated dangerous under the bylaw include pit bulls and crossbreeds of pit bulls.
Failing to remove dog feces from public places or having an unlicensed dog will also earn you a $100 ticket.
