Has the West Dyke trail gone to the dogs? According to one anonymous resident it has.
A single resident of Richmond has phoned the City of Richmond bylaw department 33 times in the past four months to complain about off-leash dogs, prompting the city to canvass the area in March to determine the true scope of the problem.
Aside from the one resident's complaints - mostly in relation to the dyke between Garry Point Park and Terra Nova Park - the city recorded an additional 23 complaints across the entire municipality in the same time period.
In 2013 the city recieved 54 "off-leash" complaints.
As a result of the persistent complaints and the city's findings, it has been decided that the bylaw department, along with RCMP auxiliary officers, will now embark on an enhanced summer dog licence and enforcement program.
A report tabled to the community safety committee on Tuesday spells out the Summer Dogs Program.
The program will be launched after non-uniformed bylaw officers spent time patrolling the dyke area in eight, four-hour shifts. The officers reported 52 out of 231 observed dogs were walking without a leash. Also, 17 dogs were found to "clearly" not have a licence. During this time the officers did not interact with the public and only observed the bylaw infractions.
The report stated that as a result of the city's growing population there has been more pedestrian and dog traffic in public areas. The report cited 55 dog bite incidents in 2013 but did not provide comparable data for years prior.
The program will see bylaw officers and workers from the public works and environmental sustainability department canvass door-to-door to disseminate information on dog licences as well as information on the city's pesticide use bylaw.
Also, working with staff from the parks department and the RCMP auxiliary, bylaw officers plan on ramping up their enforcement of off-leash dogs in areas such as beaches, dykes, playgrounds and trails that are not designated off-leash areas.
"Officers will provide a visible presence and enforce dog regulations where appropriate. The focus of this program will be to educate the public regarding responsible dog regulations where appropriate," stated the report from bylaw manager Edward Warzel.
The City of Richmond requests dog owners abide by two common "best practices" when taking ownership of a canine: leashing one's dog in a public place and having a city licence for the dog.
Warzel noted the program costs will be covered by "surplus funding due to vacancies and potential off-setting revenues" but did not indicate an actual cost when asked by the Richmond News.
In 2013 the city reported 55 dog biting incidents and issued 60 off-leash tickets.
