Off-leash dogs could be taking over outdoor ice rinks in the off-season.
Council passed a motion on Monday night to have administration bring forward amendments to the animal bylaw that would allow the outdoor skating rinks to be used for off-leash dogs when they’re not otherwise being used for recreational activities.
The motion from Coun. Tim Osborne comes a little more than a month after St. Albert’s new animal bylaw came into effect, restricting off-leash dogs to about 20 specific sites in the city.
“We’ve now concentrated our dogs into a few smaller areas,” said Osborne, adding that most of those don’t have walls or other containment structures.
“Some dogs need walls to keep them contained,” Osborne said, noting this makes the ice rinks ideal when they’re not in season.
He said some people were already using the rinks as an off-leash area before the new bylaw went into effect, and he suspects they’re doing so now.
Addressing concerns about dog feces being left behind, Osborne acknowledged that some owners do fail to clean up after their pets.
“However, I refuse to legislate to the lowest common denominator … I think we need to expect more of people, not less,” Osborne said.
Allowing dog owners to use the ice rinks, he said, allows responsible pet owners who know their dogs to access those structures if they feel their dogs need walls to play.
“I think this has some merit,” said Coun. Sheena Hughes. She said her major concern is determining, in general, what the city is going to do about irresponsible dog owners and the deposits their pooches leave behind.
Coun. Wes Brodhead said he’d support the motion to have the amendments brought forward for council’s consideration, but he’d reserve support for changing the bylaw until he sees those amendments.
He said administration needs to consider how to provide boundaries for the current dog-friendly areas and off-leash areas.
Osborne noted that left-behind dog doo is an issue in almost every community, but said he’s not sure it’s the city’s responsibility to clean up after those negligent poop-and-scoopers.
He said he’d like to see residents of St. Albert get inspired by other communities, such as Regina, where an off-leash stewardship group has risen to the task of cleaning up after their less responsible colleagues.
“Frankly, I’d like to see dog owners take some leadership as well,” Osborne said.
Council voted unanimously to have staff draft those amendments, excluding Coun. Cam MacKay who’d excused himself from the discussion due to a family member offering dog-training services using the rinks.
