[AlvinofDiaspar]

Johnny Au:

That's not a solution - I'd much rather the jurisdiction put a system where owners are required to pick poo up afterwards - and if they don't do so enough times, their animal can be permanently impounded with a lifetime ban on pet ownership.

AoD

 

[Gavin]

Johnny Au:

That's not a solution - I'd much rather the jurisdiction put a system where owners are required to pick poo up afterwards - and if they don't do so enough times, their animal can be permanently impounded with a lifetime ban on pet ownership.

AoD

Or how about a suitable fine and proper enforcement of it? Because impounding the dog all but guarantees that it will be euthanized...all because its owner didn't pick up its poo.

 

[junior43]

Or how about a suitable fine and proper enforcement of it? Because impounding the dog all but guarantees that it will be euthanized...all because its owner didn't pick up its poo.

What about public shaming? Fine them and post photos in community newspapers - similar to an idea they had about posting photos of people caught in prostitution stings from a while ago?

I believe there's already a $200 fine for dogs crapping in parks - and it obviously doesn't stop the problem.

Pretty sure there's privacy issues with this, but I think public shaming may motivate people more than the fine in a lot of cases.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I'm a dog owner, but I see a place for "no dogs allowed" parks and public spaces. If you travel, through many European and some North American cities you'll find parks with no dogs allowed signs. These are generally nicely landscaped parks, including some that close at certain times.

For example, there's the Halifax Public Gardens in Nova Scotia.

 

[junior43]

I'm a dog owner, but I see a place for "no dogs allowed" parks and public spaces. If you travel, through many European and some North American cities you'll find parks with no dogs allowed signs. These are generally nicely landscaped parks, including some that close at certain times.

For example, there's the Halifax Public Gardens in Nova Scotia.

Rosetta McClain gardens in Scarborough is the same - but nowhere near as big as your example.

 

[Admiral Beez]

True, but my thinking is a public garden in the old city of Toronto. An ideal candidate would be St. James Park, with its ornate garden, historic cathedral and church house. Surround the park in attractive cast iron fencing, and then beautify the entire park along the same as the existing flower garden.

 

[nfitz]

There is a reason why school photographers need the parent's permission to photograph a child for picture day.

That's on private properly (the school board's) and it's all about the rules put in place by the school board (and their often flakey trustees). What's the law on a public street? Probably should move to another thread ... I expect those with the answers aren't even looking here.

As for non-agressive dogs ... how am I supposed to know that? Am I supposed to leave the baby on the grass with the 100-pound dog going after him? I've tried to make aggressive gestures to the dog to let it know that I will attack it if it comes any closer, and it doesn't seem to help (of course I don't attack it when it comes closer). What the f*** the owners are doing at this point I don't know, as typically I'm looking at the dog, which is a long way from it's owner ...

 

[gabe]

Anyways, all that was to say that, yeah, too many people don't realize that their dogs are animals...not accessories to play with when it's convenient for them. I do think that the city as a whole is way too uptight about dogs and where they're allowed or welcome to go, but that said I also understand that it's other dog owners that have ruined it for the rest of us.

it's true, some people should not have dogs. Excessive barking is really getting underneath my skin. My neighbors who live 3 houses down from me, have a cute Shar Pei, and it barks consonantly. I have lived next to dogs my entire life and i have never had problems with dogs barking. But this shar pei is out of control, it has a loud deep bark, that i can hear clear as a bell, even with every window in the house closed. I have talked to owner and she said she was surprised i could hear the dog from my house. ( yeah right)

 

[waterloowarrior]

Interesting documentary on the human/dog relationship in the urban environment. Toronto is featured. Canada's dog population has doubled in the last decade.
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/dog-dazed.html

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I think part of the problem there is simply not enough park space in the downtown core. I live near Bloor and Yonge and neighbours who are dog owners constantly complain that they don't have any decent place in the neigbhourhood to let their dogs off leash - many take their dogs to Queeen's Park but Idon't think that's an off leash area.

I lived right at Yonge & Bloor in the 80's & 90's, I trained my dogs to pee down the sewer grates right outside the front door on Bloor St. and go #2 right at the curb on the sidewalk. My current dog urinates on grass, because there's lots where I live now but I trained her to also go #2 just off the curb on the road (side streets) - doing this on concrete or asphalt allows me to pick up 100% as opposed to struggling to pick up "most" of it in the grass. As for parks around there, well DA, I knew that there were no nearby parks before I got my first dog. There's a small parkette on Park Road at Asquith St but it's pretty useless for dogs. If there are no offleash parks, walk the dog! Walking an hour or two (or more) a day (depending on the energy level of the dog breed) while getting sun, mental stimulation and socialization is the best thing one can do for themselves, and their dog. If someone who lives in a multi-unit building wants a dog and expects to simply toss the pet into a dog park for an hour twice a day, every day, or mistakenly allow them to run wild in neighbourhood parks, then they might want to consider getting a cat instead.

 

[marsh]

I lived right at Yonge & Bloor in the 80's & 90's, I trained my dogs to pee down the sewer grates right outside the front door on Bloor St. and go #2 right at the curb on the sidewalk. My current dog urinates on grass, because there's lots where I live now but I trained her to also go #2 just off the curb on the road (side streets) - doing this on concrete or asphalt allows me to pick up 100% as opposed to struggling to pick up "most" of it in the grass. As for parks around there, well DA, I knew that there were no nearby parks before I got my first dog. There's a small parkette on Park Road at Asquith St but it's pretty useless for dogs. If there are no offleash parks, walk the dog! Walking an hour or two (or more) a day (depending on the energy level of the dog breed) while getting sun, mental stimulation and socialization is the best thing one can do for themselves, and their dog. If someone who lives in a multi-unit building wants a dog and expects to simply toss the pet into a dog park for an hour twice a day, every day, or mistakenly allow them to run wild in neighbourhood parks, then they might want to consider getting a cat instead.

You sound like a very responsible dog owner. I don't have one but I love dogs. I think there are fines for not scooping up your dogs poop but its not enforced. Some of the comments bother me about impounding the dog. I would agree with you that if you have a dog which has a lot of energy and really likes or needs to be offleash regularly you probably shouldn't be living downtown or at least the Yonge and Bloor area. I also don't like dogs offleash only because I walk with cane and have mobility issues and it wouldn't take much for even a small excited dog to come charging up to me to potentially cause me to lose my balance (you also have to worry about small children and off leash dogs). We all need to find ways to live together. I generally think we have lost civility in society as a whole - no one wants to compromise anymore and everyone thinks they have a "right" to do what they want.. I still think a big problem is the lack of green space. I like the idea of some green space where no dogs allowed and other green spaces where you dogs are allowed and perhaps the potential of offleash areas for at least certain periods of the day. But in my opinion our development of the downtown core has been absymal - just one condo tower after another. I'm all for density, but density plus poor planning (and not just the lack of green space) is a recipe for an urban nightmare.

 

[PinkLucy]

We walk our dog for at least an hour every morning unless there is a major storm, otherwise we go in rain, snow, high winds, cold, whatever. We used to do an evening walk as well but she's older now and isn't particularly interested. I've had many people astounded that we do this because far too many people do indeed just do in the in/out thing. Poor animals never get any exercise. Our neighbour has two dogs and I swear they haven't been out in months. I have seen her go into her place with training pads, so I assume the dogs just go in the condo. Why even bother to have a dog? I think far too many people these days see dogs as a cute accessory and don't understand what having a happy, healthy, well-trained dog is really all about.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Our neighbour has two dogs and I swear they haven't been out in months. I have seen her go into her place with training pads, so I assume the dogs just go in the condo. Why even bother to have a dog? I think far too many people these days see dogs as a cute accessory and don't understand what having a happy, healthy, well-trained dog is really all about.

Training pads are just that, training pads. These are used to train the dog to eliminate in the spot commanded and then immediately rewarded with a treat and lots of praise when complete. Once the dog has had his/her series of parvo shots then it's time to take them out into the big world and train them eliminate outside, let them socialize with other dogs and people, smell, exercise and get sun. Anything less is tantamount to dog abuse, save for perhaps small toy dogs (I don't know much about them).

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

I've tried to make aggressive gestures to the dog to let it know that I will attack it if it comes any closer, and it doesn't seem to help (of course I don't attack it when it comes closer). What the f*** the owners are doing at this point I don't know, as typically I'm looking at the dog, which is a long way from it's owner ...

Getting aggressive with a 100 pound dog is NOT smart. (To a dog, even direct and sustained eye contact can be aggressive.) And if you have a baby, you do not leave it on the grass with such a beast "going after him." The dog may see the baby as prey. These are very dangerous situations you describe. I urge you to be very very very careful.

 

[nfitz]

Getting aggressive with a 100 pound dog is NOT smart. (To a dog, even direct and sustained eye contact can be aggressive.) And if you have a baby, you do not leave it on the grass with such a beast "going after him." The dog may see the baby as prey. These are very dangerous situations you describe. I urge you to be very very very careful.

Are they? Everyone says these things are harmless.

I certainly did pick the baby up. What I really resent, is that I had to pick ... and left the 5-year old fend for herself. And the dog moved so fast, it was right to the baby before I picked it up.

Is there really that much risk? Maybe I would have been better to have gone for the dog itself with my foot to the head ... so it would not risk attacking the kids.

I thought I was over-reacting. Are they really dangerous? I'm not a dog person ... haven't got a lot of familiarity with them.

I certainly wouldn't get agressive with a dog ... but I assume it would recognize some simple gestures such as waving a hand towards it.