The Wakamow Valley Authority (WVA) confirmed that its office has been receiving increased calls about off-leash animals in the valley and on its trails, and some residents are feeling confused about who to call to address the issue.
The presence of off-leash dogs in public areas that are not designated off-leash areas — as in, areas other than the city’s large and small dog parks, located on the 1500 block of High Street West — is a violation of the City of Moose Jaw’s Dog Bylaw.
This means that WVA staff do not have the power to address complaints of animals running at large, and instead refer residents to direct their complaints to the city bylaw enforcement office.
“There’s a small percentage of people that are under the misconception that we have an off-leash dog park area [in Wakamow], and it’s definitely not true,” said Wakamow Valley general manager Todd Johnson. “Most dog-walkers are really respectful but Wakamow is definitely not an off-leash park.”
Complaints directed to the city bylaw office, however, are being received with advice from city bylaw officers to instead contact the Humane Society, leaving some residents unclear and frustrated with few details explaining the process.
Bylaw enforcement
After an anonymous call from a concerned resident to the Moose Jaw Express office, the City of Moose Jaw was contacted to share more information on how the off-leash dog section of the Dog Bylaw is addressed.
According to the City of Moose Jaw Bylaw No. 4495, also titled the Dog Bylaw, in Section 10(1): “Every owner whose dog is running at large is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to the penalties prescribed in this Bylaw.”
Section 12 of this bylaw also states that animal control officers or police constable may seize a dog running at large contrary to the bylaw, and deliver it to the pound where it will be held.
Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, the city department that oversees bylaw enforcement, spoke to the process that bylaw officers follow when contacted about a loose animal in areas of the city where off-leash dogs are not permitted.
City bylaw enforcement officers do not respond to calls involving animals themselves, said Sanson, as they are not trained or equipped to safely do so.
Residents who call the bylaw enforcement officer about an off-leash dog are instead advised to contact the Humane Society about the animal. If the animal is a safety concern or seems aggressive, Sanson said the bylaw officer would direct residents to contact the Moose Jaw Police Service to address the situation.
“The city contracts the Moose Jaw Humane Society for animal control and pound keeping, so they’re in charge of enforcing any dogs at large or anything under the dog bylaw in the city. If it’s a dangerous dog, it would be referred to the police,” said Sanson.
As a contracted agency, the Humane Society has full jurisdiction over the level of response to reports involving loose animals. If located, representatives may use their discretion to choose to just speak with the owner, seize the animal into the care of the shelter, or issue a notice of violation or even a fine to the owner, in accordance with the bylaw.
The city has upheld this contract with the Humane Society a long time, said Sanson, with the most recent renewal of the contract in 2017.
“We’ve just never had the [city] personnel to deal with that or the facility, obviously, to put the dogs in and they do,” said Sanson. “And you need special training to work with animals, and with [the Humane Society] having that training, it seemed to be a win-win situation for them and for the city.”
The set fine for allowing a dog to run free, as stated in Section 10(1), could total up to $60, with the addition of pound fees if necessary. If the animal was determined to be damaging public or private property, another fee of up to $60 could be issued.
Sanson was unable to say whether the bylaw enforcement office had been fielding an increase of calls regarding off-leash dogs, or whether any fines had been issued in the past year regarding the “dogs running at large” section of the dog bylaw.
Humane Society does its best
Dana Haukaas from the Moose Jaw Humane Society said that while the organization does what it can to answer complaint calls about dogs running at large, it can be difficult for staff to arrive on time to solve the problem.
Haukaas estimated that the Humane Society picks up between 20 and 30 dogs running at large per month, both stray and registered, with an additional 10 to 20 calls that are often resolved by owners before staff arrive.
“We have more calls about running-at-large dogs than ones who have an owner, and we tend to get a lot of people complaining about the off-leash part, some for parks in Sunningdale where people think it’s okay to let their dog off the leash to run in the park,” said Haukaas.
The first step, when responding to these complaints, is to locate the animal, said Haukaas. If the owner is present, staff will educate them on the dog bylaw and issue a warning.
This, however, can be a difficult task as off-leash animals don’t tend to stay in one place while the Humane Society responds.
“We go out right away, for a dog that is at large, but it can [take time] especially when temperatures are cold, to get a vehicle started or warm enough to go,” said Haukaas. “And it's not like the dog goes, ‘oh, hey, you called the Humane Society, I’m just going to sit here and wait.’ They keep moving.”
When the Humane Society receives these calls, they will ask people to attempt to hold onto the animal if they’re comfortable, or at least keep an eye on it for when staff do arrive at the scene.
Haukaas said the Humane Society tends to deal with owners who are just not aware they are in violation of a city bylaw, or have not considered the concerns that dogs off-leash may cause others, even if their pets are friendly.
This includes other dog owners with their pets on a leash, other residents the dog may disrupt, or even the safety of the dog itself if it encounters any wildlife in places like Wakamow Valley.
“Not everyone is comfortable with dogs. Maybe somebody has had a bad experience in the past, and your friendly dog running up to them causes them anxiety, and they have every right to walk [in public spaces] as you do,” said Haukaas.
It's not as often that the Humane Society has to follow up with repeat offenders, added Haukaas, but it does happen occasionally.
Unlicensed dogs who are picked up by the Humane Society while at large will not be released to their owners until they are licensed, she continued. Repeat offenders can expect to receive a bylaw fine and, in some cases, a notice of violation from the city.
Haukaas was also unsure if any fines had been issues recently in accordance with the Dog Bylaw, but did emphasize that it can be a difficult bylaw to enforce because of the travel window.
“Unless we physically see it happen, there’s not much we can do about it,” said Haukaas. “So it is important to call right away, [because] it can take us a few minutes to get there.”
When reporting a dog running at large, Haukaas recommended residents try to provide information such as the size and colour of the animal, if it was wearing a collar, and whether an owner was present, to help the Humane Society in their work.
Wakamow Valley concerns
Johnson said that the WVA office has been receiving more phone calls regarding animals running off-leash this year than normal, and he is reminding animal owners that the valley is not the right place to allow their pets loose.
For many residents using the valley’s walking or biking trails, seeing an off-leash dog approach them can be startling, said Johnson, and for some, very off-putting.
In addition to potentially disturbing other people using the trails and playground areas in the valley, Johnson added that off-leash animals can also be a safety hazard — for both people and the animals themselves.
“There are lots of blind corners in the park where people are riding their bike or jogging or going for a walk, or if you have kids, it would not be unusual for them to be a hundred feet ahead of you [and] when someone comes around those blind corners and a dog is unleashed and running, it can be a bad connection,” said Johnson.
The increase in reports this year is only highlighting a small number of dog owners who utilize the valley’s trails, added Johnson, but the increased tension over the issue is still relevant.
“Letting us know might allow us to install better signage or whatever, but it's really a small percentage of dog owners that are ruining it for the others,” said Johnson.
He guessed that the increased number of calls may be related to the increased anxiety levels caused by the ongoing pandemic limitations, as folks are utilizing the trails to get out of the house but are instead being unexpectedly disturbed.
“At this time, we’re finding that people are a bit stressed out, and rightfully so,” said Johnson. “Everyone’s heightened, they want their own space and so when someone else comes into their space to grab their dog, that’s not social distancing. It’s a very uncomfortable time for everyone, and this just adds to it.”
The WVA office regularly reminds folks using the valley to contact proper authorities — like the police or the fire department — when they see something of concern, and that advice includes bylaw infractions.
All the WVA can do is issue reminders to keep pets leashed in the part, said Johnson, and hope residents respect the rules.
“It's a really tough balance [because] we have walkers, we have senior walkers, we have joggers, bikers, dog walkers and just trying to get everyone to live harmoniously is tough and in this COVID time, where everyone’s on edge, it's even tougher,” said Johnson. “We really depend on everyone following the rules, and that means all of the rules.”
