The City of Calgary is asking us for feedback in how off leash parks in Calgary will be developed in the foreseeable future.  The City of Calgary has an on-line survey all about what we like, don’t like and what we would like to see in our city dog parks.  This survey is not just about the big three (River Park, Southland, and Edworthy,) it also asks about your local or community parks as they call them.

Dog parks in Calgary have been in the news quite a bit over the last few years and the City is looking to put a strategy together for future development.   This a “speak now or forever hold your peace” kind of situation.

Dog Owners vs. the Rest of the Public

Dog parks in Calgary are not exclusive to Dogs and their owners.  Dog parks in Calgary are all multi use areas, which means if you and your kid want to play soccer in the middle of River Park on a sunny July afternoon you should be able to.  This is where the conflict arises and hence all of the media attention.  Common sense would tell us to choose the field down the road to play ball, (you know - the one with the soccer nets and no dogs,) but common sense is not always that common.  Who wants to play in a field that has become nothing more than a glorified bathroom for canines anyway?  Let us not forget the cyclists who use the urban trail system that runs through many of these parks. I feel sorry for them if they have not already staked out an alternate route around these parks.  The pathways within the parks must be like a cruel game of Frogger (that 80’s Atari game where the frog has to cross the road without being flattend,) where the cyclist is the frog who must dodge all of the dogs or end up in hospital after an accident.  The non-dog owning public has a legitimate beef with the dog owners who use these parks - especially if the dog owners can not control their dogs.

Dog Owners vs. Dog Owners

Clever Canines graduates are among the most courteous and informed dog owners in the City.  Graduates have learned to watch out for dogs who are aggressive, owners who have no control, and situations which may be dangerous (parking lots, bikes, skateboards, etc.)  Unfortunately not every dog owner is a Clever Canines Graduate.  The most difficult issue within a dog park is the humans!  People tend to be root of 99% of the problems facing dog parks in Calgary.

Example:  Person brings dog over which they have no control to the park, and then they bring the dog’s favorite toy for a fun afternoon.  Unfortunately, someone else’s dog over which they have no control doesn’t have a toy.  Of course this often leads into dog ‘A’ taking dog ‘B’s’ toy to the dismay of owner number one.  When owner two tries to get out of control dog ‘B’ to return to them with the stolen toy and fails, owner ‘A’ goes from dismayed to angry.  Now no one is having fun in the dog park except for dogs ‘A’ and ‘B’ who are probably having a great game of chase while their owners duke it out.

This is one of a thousand scenarios played out in Calgary dog parks every day and unfortunately, if you spend any time at all in Calgary dog parks, you will have witnessed at least one shouting match and plenty of four letter fun-words.

What’s The Real Problem?

The real problem isn’t that people without dogs and people with dogs can’t share the same park.  The problem isn’t that more than one dog in the park at the same time is always going to lead to a confrontation.  In our classes we do both of these things all of the time.  The problem is that a majority of the dogs in the dog parks are missing something…… an owner who has invested time in training their dog.  No, this is not our way of soliciting new customers, and no, this is not a shot at people who have not taken our courses.  This is a simple statement of fact.  If you have control of your dog in all situations there will be no “situations”.  If your dog wants to go and say hi to the other people in the park playing ball you should be able to call him back immediately if he is not welcome.  If your dog does take the ball from another dog in the park you should be able to call her, retrieve the ball, and give it back to the other owner.

Calgary’s large dog parks are often a haven for lazy dog owners who think that letting their dog run wild absolves them of any responsibility for training them.  It is a sad truth that a vast majority of dogs in the big three dog parks are over-fed, under-exercised, and have socialization issues, oops did I say dogs – I meant owners.  As I stated earlier 99% of the problems are because of people.  People need to change their attitude about what constitutes responsible dog ownership and act upon it.   This means training them to obey commands the first time you give it.  This means not letting your dog run out of the car, across the street and through the parking lot as soon as the car is stopped near the dog park.  This means using common sense when bringing a toy to the dog park.  Do you really think other dogs will know that you only want to play with your own dog?

The Solution

We tell our graduates that “the only dog you can reliably control in a dog park is your own,” so if you are unsure of the other dogs maybe this is not the place for you and your dog.  Find a smaller less popular dog park and enjoy your time with your dog without having to worry about throngs of other dogs with owners who care more about whether or not Fido went “poopies” than if they are fulfilled as a species.   Until the vast majority of dog owners in this city change their perception of what a dog owners responsibility is the environment and issues in dog parks will remain.

Thanks to the City of Calgary for asking what we think in the form of a survey, it may not be perfect but I think this is kind of like voting.  If you don’t vote you really don’t have the right to complain.  I voted and I have filled out the survey!  Have you?

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