Mayor Cam Guthrie

Leash Free Updates For #Guelph!

(Yes, that’s the Guthrie’s new dog “Rogue”! Posing like he’s all that!)

There have been a number of recent inquiries regarding the Leash Free Policy update and progress on this project.

City Council approved through the Open Space Planning in the 2018 capital budget to begin the process of developing a Leash Free Policy.

The purpose of the project is to determine what the Leash Free Policy for the City of Guelph should look like. To do this, an extensive community engagement plan is being prepared. It is expected that the City will review and receive input on the existing bylaws, policies and off leash facilities to help shape our Leash Free Policy.

The anticipated outcome of the project is to have a Leash Free Policy that is comprehensive and reflects the community needs from all park and open space users (both with and without dogs as members of their household). It is anticipated that the new Leash Free Policy will provide design guidelines and direction for future off-leash facilities. (It is not as simple as putting up a fence around an existing park.)

To date, all inquiries received since mid-2017 will be taken into consideration when developing the new policy. All residents that have shared their thoughts to the City have been added to the list of residents to be engaged directly. The City appreciates residents’ interests on this topic and will be sure to send out invitations to upcoming public meetings so that they may have opportunity to share their thoughts, experiences and expectations.

The community engagement process is expected to start in the spring/summer of 2018. Once the dates are firm, residents will be notified a few weeks.

Take care!

Cam

Cam Guthrie

12 responses to “Leash Free Updates For #Guelph!”

  1. Cary Morris Avatar
    Cary Morris

    Hoping there will be a fences added to ‘leash free’ dog parks (street lights would be a bonus addition in the dog parks, as the long winters are very dark after dinner, when most people venture out to the dog park for their regular play date with other dogs.) Having moved here from Montreal a few years ago, I was surprised to discover none of the ‘leash free’ dog parks in Guelph were not fenced in. I had called and had spoken to a city hall parks staff member and asked if it was a question of funding that there were no fences anywhere. I asked if they would consider private donations in exchange for a memorial plaque (for a recently deceased pet) installed on a park bench, or a water fountain, or on park fencing. I had mentioned all of the dog parks in Montreal were fenced in with memorial plaques on benches, (one had even dedicated a dog park to a police dog that had died in service.) I know as a single man and a business owner and a life long dog lover, I would not hesitate to leave 20 or 30 thousand dollars in my will to a dog park in Guelph. My issue is when I offered to do this, the guy I spoke to on the phone at Guelph Parks said it was a good idea, it had never been done and there was no way to ensure the money donated would go to a dog park or a bench or any sort of ‘memorial’ plaque as requested. Perhaps this would help raise funds to install fences in dog parks. I realize the current economy is in the toilet and tax dollars are being stretched to the max with government debt at an all time high. I just thought I would raise this option with you and suggest the city set up a site for people to donate money (perhaps offer a tax credit in return?) for memorial plaques in dog parks in memory of their dogs, to pay for fencing in dog parks and the upkeep of the fencing over time. (Also, there are no shortage of dog lovers in Guelph and installing fences in dog parks would certainly earn you more votes to keep you in office. Just sayin’ is all.)

    Reply
    1. Cam Guthrie Avatar
      Cam Guthrie

      Thank you for the comment! Feel free to email me directly with these thoughts and I’ll ensure city staff follow up: mayor@guelph.ca

      Reply
  2. Rachael Avatar
    Rachael

    Now that we are into late July, has anyone heard anything about the community engagement process that was intended to be this spring/summer? i’ve been searching for information every few weeks, and the best information I have found has been this thread, which has not been updated since it’s original posting in late March.

    Reply
  3. Mary Avatar
    Mary

    Enforcement of the by-laws would be great. I don’t even take my dog (leashed) for walks in my favourite trails, because of off leash dogs, specially south end and Guelph lake. I call to report, but nothing happens. Picking up poop is another issue as well, specially in the south end. If you are going to change the policy – change enforcement and education of how to be a responsible dog owner. We share the community, it’s not their own back yard to let a dog run free and not be respectful to other people, animals and the community.

    Reply
  4. Betty Avatar
    Betty

    Would love a fenced in dog park for the furbaby! Often I’m having to travel to acton for a fenced in dog park (and my dog oddly enough hates car rides) but he LOVES to run and play with other dogs, so would love to see something like this be an outcome

    Reply
  5. Gail Nisbet Avatar
    Gail Nisbet

    Yes. This is great news. It would be nice to have a section for small dogs to run around in as well. Can’t wait.

    Reply
  6. Angelica Avatar
    Angelica

    Oh how I hope we’ll get a wonderful, fully enclosed dog park. Currently, the most accessible one for me is on Maplegrove and it’s nothing but a glorified mud pit for at least another month. I know my beloved hometown will be able to provide something better.

    Reply
    1. Rachael Avatar
      Rachael

      Would love a fenced-in dog park in Guelph, we just moved into town, and found that the closest one is still in Cambridge/Kitchener! Large enough to let dogs really run, but small enough that the people can keep track of them.

      Reply
      1. Cam Guthrie Avatar
        Cam Guthrie

        Totally agree!

  7. joywalker57 Avatar
    joywalker57

    Best news ever. Long overdue. So glad this is being done in a thorough way. The outcome should well reflect all needs. Look forward to next steps.

    Reply
  8. Angie Gazzola Avatar
    Angie Gazzola

    Yay! Please make sure one is fully enclosed!

    Reply
    1. Cam Guthrie Avatar
      Cam Guthrie

      Totally agree!

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Cary MorrisCancel reply

Discover more from Mayor Cam Guthrie

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading