Heather Joesbury spends more time in her car driving to off leash parks with the recent Capital Regional District (CRD) on leash bylaw for dogs. The Langford resident and owner of Tailz to Trailz Dog Adventurez, offers a variety of services for pets, including adventure hikes, in which she takes the dogs off leash hiking.
The bylaw amendments put into effect last March includes 11 regional parks where dogs are required to be on leashes at all times. The bylaw was implemented to meet CRD management plan objectives for parks and regional trails.
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Joesbury has clients in Sooke, the West Shore, Central Saanich and Victoria on a daily basis and with fewer off leash parks, she has to backtrack after she picks the pups up. She used to walk the dogs along the Galloping Goose to get to different destinations and Harbour View in Sooke was the park she frequented most, noting Sooke was her favourite place to take the dogs before the new rules.
The parks in Sooke that are now off leash include Ayum Creek Regional Park Reserve, Sea to Sea, Sooke Hills, Wilderness Regional Park, the Sooke Potholes and the Galloping Goose Regional Trail.
Joesbury thinks having year round on leash parks in all of Sooke is “a little too harsh”, as is the fact that the Galloping Goose is completely on leash. But on the other hand she appreciated some of the leash laws in parks because some dog owners are irresponsible.
“My dogs aren’t disrupting the wildlife [in Sooke], we just want to enjoy the park and have a good time,” she said. “I don’t take my dogs to CRD parks anymore because of the rules.”
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She encounters people daily who don’t use proper etiquette when walking their dogs, noting that off leash areas are meant for dogs that are “under control”, which means they don’t go up to other dogs and will come when called once. She also noted that leashed dogs can act more aggressively than they normally would when approached by an unleashed dog.
“Leash your dog whenever you see another leashed dog, that dog could be nervous, anything could be happening with that dog on leash,” she said.
Now she takes the dogs for on leash walks to Goldstream Park and Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Francis King Regional Park. For off leash walks she takes the dogs to Roche Cove, Lone Tree Hill, and a park in East Sooke.
“The major concern is keeping everyone safe and happy, but we need to come to a collective agreement,” Joesbury said.
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lindsey.horsting@goldstreamgazette.com
