The Gazette has a story this week about a woman who was recently bowled over by a rogue dog bounding through the Lacombe Lake Park off-leash area as she was out walking with her own dog, her son, and a friend. An ambulance had to carry her by stretcher out of the park and to the hospital. She was left with a broken ankle, six weeks of working from home, and lingering concerns about how much control pet owners who visit city parks have, or don't have, over their dogs.
What's most disappointing is the number of bystanders in the off-leash park at the time, and how no dog owner stepped forward to take ownership of the accidental hit-and-run.
The incident serves as a reminder of how quickly any dog can become a danger to others, and how important it is that every dog-owner-visitor to the city's off-leash parks and areas has either good control of his or her dog, or the good sense to avoid the off-leash park or area completely until that is the case.
Taking your dog off its leash at any time comes with heavy responsibility unless the dog is safely contained in your own backyard.
Unruly dogs, it seems, anecdotally, and in the pages of newspapers across the country, have become part and parcel of visits to off-leash parks. But they don't have to be.
These green spaces in cities serve as meeting places for people and their canine companions to connect and socialize in communities, especially during the pandemic, when so many have faced increased isolation from family and co-workers.
It comes as no surprise 2020 saw a notable surge in pandemic puppy purchases and adoptions across North America, reported on widely by media across Canada and the U.S.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, pet adoption and purchase rates climbed as more people stayed home. Narrative Research's data from November 2020 showed that among Canadian pet owners, 18 per cent obtained a new pet since the start of the pandemic.
Whether that's due to increased flexibility and time those working from home had to care for a new furry friend, or a desire to fill the void brought on by extended periods of isolation, there is a marked increase in the number of young pets with underdeveloped manners happily bounding around in our communities this spring and summer.
Those cute, fluffy balls of fur we lovingly bring home grow into dogs that can do damage. They deserve our time, effort, and perseverance with training before unleashing them on responsible pet owners and their well-behaved pups out in the world.
Our off-leash parks are no place for dogs without manners, or owners who lack accountability. Accidents happen. Indeed, sometimes with well-meaning owners and well-trained dogs.
But there's a difference between those and the preventable kind that occur when an owner irresponsibly lets a dog loose at the park with no ability to control it.
These incidents deserve St. Albert's hefty fines, along with a ban from visiting off-leash parks until both dog and owner have learned their manners.
Editorials are the consensus view of the St. Albert Gazette's editorial board.
