It’s been almost a year since changes were introduced to St. Albert’s animal bylaw and while there’s room for improvement, so far the off-leash area pilot project has been welcomed by members of the community.
On Sept. 1, 2014, the council adopted a new bylaw, which reduced the number of off-leash areas to 20 different sites throughout the city – prior to changes all of St. Albert’s green spaces were considered off-leash.
As part of the one-year pilot project, city staff has been collecting feedback with the help of an online survey – the results of which will be presented to council in the fall.
The survey asks for feedback on signage, amenities, enforcement issues, what is liked and disliked about a particular site and if any improvements could be made.
So far, the city has collected approximately 500 responses. The survey will remain open until Sept. 1, 2015.
To find out what residents think of the changes, the Gazette headed to four of the city’s 20 designated sites. Here’s what we heard in the (off-leash) parks of St. Albert.
Robin Ferguson, an avid trail user and former dog owner, agrees with the idea of limiting the number of off-leash areas.
“I’m a runner, as well as a walker and a cyclist, and we have had issues where dogs have attacked or have even just happily jumped up, but still it spooks people,” said Ferguson, who recalls an incident where a girlfriend broke her wrist after being knocked off her bike by an eager pup.
In the past, Ferguson would travel outside the city boundaries to let her pets roam free out of respect for children and other park users.
“As much as you love your dog, they’re still an animal. They still have instincts,” she said.
Ideally, Ferguson said she would prefer off-leash areas be fenced and strictly for dogs, rather than incorporated into multi-use parks – currently all off-leash areas are public parks shared by all residents.
When it comes to amenities, some areas have room for improvement, says Lisa Hardy, who pointed out the lack of garbage cans at Riverlot 56, which is not an off-leash area but a popular dog walking area.
“There aren’t enough garbage cans in the whole Riverlot 56 area, the upper and the lower. In fact there’s a real shortage and people leave bags with waste, so it doesn’t look very attractive,” she said.
Hardy also pointed out the lack of clear signage in the area.
“I think sites like that should be properly marked because there seems to be a discrepancy between what people are actually doing. If it’s off-leash or if it’s not, it should probably be indicated,” she said.
Overall, Hardy said she hasn’t been too affected by the changes. A resident of St. Albert for the past 17 years, she recently chose to move to the Woodlands area due to its proximity to multiple off-leash and park areas.
But not all dog owners feel the same way.
Despite having closer options, Ethna Moore, a St. Albert resident of 32 years, drives to Lacombe Lake Park to let her two shepherd-huskies run free.
“The other ones are too confined,” she said.
But even Lacombe is becoming a little cumbersome with the recent bank stabilization project, as well as a new housing development being constructed directly adjacent to the off-leash portion of the site.
“I’d like to see a couple more big off-leash parks. Terwillegar (in Edmonton) has an awesome off-leash park. It’s a whole big area,” said Moore.
Despite the slight inconvenience of loading the dogs into the back seat, Moore does agree with the nature of the bylaw changes, stating that it’s fair to runners and cyclers, who don’t want strange dogs approaching them.
