Off-Leash Dog Areas

In response to a motion  (102 KB) by Alderman Brian Pincott, Council has directed Animal & Bylaw Services and Parks to jointly review the management of Calgary's off-leash areas.  Some of the topics being reviewed include:

• The location and access to existing areas;
• Establishing new areas in existing communities; and
• The minimum standards and facilities to create successful off-leash dog areas.

Information - Existing Off-Leash Areas

• Dogs must be on-leash except in designated off-leash dog areas. These are marked by signs.
• There are 138 off-leash areas located within Calgary's multi-use parks.
• These parks come in a variety of shapes and sizes - from small community parks to larger regional parks.
• Calgary does not have any dog-only off-leash parks (except a privately run park near Elliston Park).
• Users of off-leash dog areas must comply with municipal regulations  (98 KB).

Asking Calgarians

All Calgarians are being asked about their off-leash dog area views and experiences.  They are being consulted in several ways:

1. Off-Leash Dog Areas Survey and Open Houses

a. Online Survey

The survey was available to anyone online or in person at one of the regional open houses.  Over 4400 surveys were submitted.  Highlights of the results are available.

b. Open Houses

Open houses were casual drop-in events that gave all Calgarians an opportunity to speak with representatives from Animal & Bylaw Services and Parks and provide feedback on additional topics.

The open houses took place at:

North: March 3, 2009 - from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Thorncliffe Greenview Community Hall, Thorncliffe Room, 5600 Centre St. N.

South: March 12, 2009 - from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the WillowRidge Community Centre, WillowRidge Community Center Hall, 680 Acadia Dr. S.E.

Central: March 18, 2009 - from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Animal & Bylaw Services Centre, multi-purpose room, 2201 Portland St. S.E.

Appromixately 150 citizens attended one of the three open houses.  A summary of the highlights is provided.

2. Other Citizen Engagement

The topics explored in subsequent engagement opportunities were directed by the results of the online survey, open houses, and an earlier scoping survey.

a. In-Park Engagement Surveys

Info was also be collected using on-site intercept surveys.  Members of Animal & Bylaw Services and Parks joined Alderman Pincott for an informal survey of off-leash area users.  An overview of this information is also available.

b. Telephone Survey

A telephone survey was conducted by an independent consultant in July. This survey was demographically balanced and was completed with 500 randomly selected Calgarians.  Results supplemented a October 2009 report to Council members.  Highlights of this survey are available.

c. Stakeholder Consultation

Focus groups and meetings have been ongoing since the beginning of the review. This process will continue as a means of gathering input from formalized stakeholder groups most directly involved with and affected by off-leash areas.  These include, but are not limited to, dog-owner organizations, pathways user groups, dog walkers, impacted City staff, residents and community associations.