People, Parks, and Dogs: A strategy for sharing Vancouver's parks

Key findings from our review of dog off-leash areas

This review helps us identify what is most needed to support sharing limited park space and reduce conflicts.

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  What's working well in dog off-leash areas

  • Building community: Off-leash areas foster a sense of community, and serve as a gathering place for people with and without dogs.
  • Clear boundaries: People with and without dogs share park space more effectively when dog off-leash areas are clearly marked.
  • Variety of off-leash areas: Providing a range of different off-leash areas allows users to visit an area that meets their needs. Existing off-leash areas range in size, surface materials, amenities, and boundary tools.
  • Open space: People with dogs value large areas for their dogs to run and play off-leash.
  • Water access: People with dogs appreciate having access to off-leash areas that provide opportunities for their dogs to swim.
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  Challenges in Vancouver's dog off-leash areas

  • Managing dog waste: Waste is smelly and unpleasant to step on or look at. Waste also has health risks if not cleaned up and disposed of properly.
  • Access: There is an unequal distribution of off-leash areas across Vancouver and some neighbourhoods are underserved.
  • Lack of clarity: Park users indicated that confusing and inconsistent signage and a lack of clear-on-the-ground boundaries make it difficult to understand where off-leash activity is allowed and to be expected.
  • Off-leash activity in on-leash areas: There is significant off-leash activity in on-leash areas and a lack of compliance with time-of-use restrictions.
  • Sharing limited park space: With a limited amount of park space available, people who do not use off-leash areas worry that off-leash areas leave less space for other park uses. Less compatible adjacencies, such as playgrounds, sport fields, and multi-use trails, can also contribute to conflict.
  • Managing noise: The noise from dog off-leash areas, where many dogs and people meet, may disturb other park users or neighbourhood residents.
  • Lack of amenities: Some off-leash areas lack the amenities to support site users, making these sites less appealing to use. There is demand for separated areas to address safety concerns for small and/or shy dogs.
  • Surfacing: Dog owners are concerned about gravel surfacing that can be difficult to walk on and may hurt their dogs’ paws, as well as dark-coloured surfacing that can get hot. Natural grass areas are preferred, but it does not withstand high use and can quickly become muddy in Vancouver’s wet climate. 
  • Safety concerns (people and dogs): Aggressive or poorly trained dogs in off-leash areas may scare or injure other people and dogs. Without play features or places to hide, small, fenced off-leash areas can be intimidating for shy and small dogs, and may lead to conflicts between other dogs.
  • Increased maintenance and enforcement costs: Concentrated areas of dogs off-leash can wear away turf and lead to more conflicts with other park users, leading to higher maintenance and enforcement costs.
  • Potential environmental impacts: Dogs and dogs off-leash have the potential to disturb wildlife, harm sensitive habitat areas, negatively impact water quality, and damage bookable sport fields.

Recommendations from the strategy

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  Access

  Improve access to dog off-leash areas throughout the city.

  Through mapping and analysis PDF file (354 KB), 6 neighbourhoods were identified in the strategy as under-served.

  To provide equitable access across the city, priority for new or enhanced dog off-leash areas are based on combined assessments of:

  • The greatest number of licenced dogs
  • The highest residential population density
  • Projected population growth

  We are prioritizing increased access to the 6 most under-served neighbourhoods:

  • Kitsilano
  • Mount Pleasant
  • Downtown
  • West End
  • Grandview-Woodland
  • Fairview

  Removing time-of-use restrictions where possible will provide a higher and more reliable level of dog off-leash service across the city. It will also reduce confusion among users and make our enforcement resources available for other dog-related activities.

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  Design

  Provide a variety of dog off-leash areas with clear and effective boundaries, and support the needs of people with and without dogs in parks with dog off-leash areas.

  The People, Parks, and Dogs Strategy identifies 4 types of dog off-leash areas to provide a variety of off-leash opportunities based on:

  1. Size

  Ideally, off-leash areas will be large enough to meet the demand without being degraded from overuse. When assessing the target size for a dog off-leash area, we consider:

  • Available land
  • Adjacent park and neighbourhood uses
  • The comfort and safety of all

  It is important to recognize trade-offs between:

  • Size
  • Durability of surfacing
  • Potential conflicts amongst dogs
  • Budgeting constraints

  2. Surface materials

  We consider how heavily each off-leash area is used when choosing surface materials. Other considerations include:

  • Appeal to park users
  • Comfort and safety for dogs
  • Costs

  The strategy recommends a variety of surface materials and identifies advantages, disadvantages, and suitability. Learn more about the variety of surfacing materials PDF file (1.6 MB).

  3. Amenities

  A variety of standard and special amenities help attract people to dog off-leash areas and help keep dogs out of on-leash areas. Review all the amenities identified in the strategy PDF file (1.6 MB).

  4. Boundary tools

  The strategy identified adjacent park and neighbourhood uses that are compatible and less compatible. These include:

  • Ecologically-sensitive areas
  • Busy roads
  • Multi-use trails
  • Playgrounds
  • Wading pools and splash pads
  • Designated sports fields
  • High-intensity park use areas
  • Community gardens

  Clearly defining secure and permeable boundaries addresses potential conflict with:

  • Adjacent park and neighbourhood uses
  • Existing site features
  • Site circulation
  • Input from park users
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  Stewardship

  Support the success of off-leash areas through effective management, communication, and education.

  Regular visitors to off-leash areas play an important role in fostering a sense of community in neighbourhoods. Based on available resources, we are not able to support new stewardship initiatives at this time.

  In the future, we hope to support initiatives such as:

  • Establishing clear communication between your community and Park Board staff
    • This connection would help share information about community needs and concerns, as well as park projects, plans, and activities.
  • Organizing meetings or workshops to discuss ideas, priorities, and challenges, and ask questions to Park Board and City staff, including Operations, Park Rangers, and Animal Services teams
  • Hosting educational talks with experts, such as animal welfare scientists, on topics like dog behaviour and health
  • Hosting pet-friendly events that support community connections
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  Enforcement

  Improve compliance and enforcement for dog-related by-laws.

  Animal Services leads enforcement of dog activity in partnership with the Park Board.

  Our Animal Control By-law and the Parks Control By-law:

  • Regulate where dogs can and cannot be off-leash
  • Require all dog handlers to manage their dog’s behaviour

  To support all park users, including people with and without dogs, everyone’s compliance with by-laws is essential.

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  Documents

  • People, Parks, and Dogs Strategy Report PDF file (6 MB)
  • People, Parks, and Dogs Strategy Appendix PDF file (5 MB)
  • People, Parks, and Dogs Strategy Implementation Guide PDF file (2 MB)