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A popular off-leash dog park in the city centre will soon be off-limits to professional dog walkers after complaints from neighbours prompted a local councillor to introduce a motion to ban commercial players
The motion sparked an outcry from local businesses and dog owners who frequent the park.
Lumsden Park, located between Yonge Street and Avenue near Davenport Road, has tennis courts, a wading pool, an ice hockey rink and a large off-leash area on the west side. Municipal signs were recently installed on the park gates informing people that commercial dog walkers will no longer be allowed in the park starting Sept. 19.
“All of the dogs are local, all of these dog owners are paying taxes for these dogs to use the park,” said Rebecca Riddell, owner of Bark Buddies in Toronto.
In addition to finding herself having to walk further to find areas where she can keep her dog off-leash, she’s also worried about no longer being able to access the small-dog area at Lumsden Park — an amenity not available at every city dog park and one that will directly impact her business.
“Essentially, they’re asking us to put these puppies in with dogs of all sizes, which can weigh over 100 pounds,” she said, “and that’s not safe.”
Ms. Riedel has drafted a petition calling for compromise options in lieu of an outright ban, including limiting commercial dog walkers’ access to the off-leash zone to noon. She also said a second off-leash zone closer to Yonge Street and away from residential areas could be an option.
The ban is the result of a motion introduced by University-Rosedale City Councillor Diane Sachs at the June City Council meeting. Councillor motions can speed up the implementation of ordinances by skipping the usual committee process and giving community members a chance to be involved in the process.
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Dog owners, dog walkers and neighbors who oppose the dog park told Global News that public consultation should have been considered before Sacks filed the motion to ban the dog park.
Sacks, who is on vacation this week, emailed a written statement acknowledging that opinions on the ban were sharply divided but said it was being implemented at the request of affected neighbors until city staff can come up with a “dog master plan.”
Sachs said that while some off-leash areas allow commercial dog walkers, others do not, and there are no standards to determine which areas are suitable for them.
“If we wish to allow commercial dog walkers to walk dogs during certain off-peak hours, we may need to amend the ordinance, which may be a reasonable compromise,” Sacks wrote.
Sacks’ motion states the dog park report will be returned this fall, but she said in an email that it won’t be returned until early 2025 at the earliest. Sacks also said the ban at Lumsden Park is temporary, however, there is nothing in her motion wording that distinguishes it from a time-limited ban other than the summary.
Several families on streets near the park have mixed feelings about the ban. Michael Rosenbaum said fighting dogs make a lot of noise.
“There are dog fights all the time, and we hear them from the backyard all the time,” Rosenbaum said. “It has its upsides and downsides. Personally, I really don’t care.”
While he said he didn’t really have a mainstream opinion on whether they should be banned, his wife said she wasn’t in favor of a compromise that would allow commercial owners midday access.
A home backing onto the park is currently being renovated, and while the occasional dog barking could be heard midday Monday, the sounds of power tools and lumber were the main sources of noise.
“Sometimes it’s even louder than a dog barking,” said Jenn Reck, owner of Barking up the Right Tree dog walking shop, who noted that people in the neighborhood have filed sham complaints about the noise. “We can’t even talk, so it’s funny.”
Other dog walkers who don’t use parks, like Andrew Wood, worry about the knock-on effect of more commercial dog owners heading to parks where dog walking is allowed.
“A lot of dog parks are busy enough already, and if you close one dog park, some of the other dog parks are going to get even busier,” he said.
Dog owners are also concerned about the impact the ban will have when they rely on local dog walkers.
“There aren’t that many dog parks in the city to begin with, so I’ve found that the more time I spend in the car, the higher the price,” Federico Charron said.
A city spokesman said enforcement would be done on a case-by-case basis and education was always more important than fines.
Sacks also noted that while professional dog walkers are prohibited from entering the off-leash area, they can still walk their dogs in other areas of the park as long as their dogs are on a leash.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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