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

Understanding Vancouver's dog off-leash areas

Our dog population is growing and so is the demand to recreate off-leash dog areas in our parks and public spaces.

The People, Parks, and Dogs strategy reviewed what is working well and what challenges are coming up in Vancouver’s 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

  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.

  Separated dog waste: Users support the ‘red bin’ dog waste collection pilot currently at select parks.

  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 under-served.

  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 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. Although natural grass areas are preferred, 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. Wear and tear from this use can lead 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.

How the strategy is guiding us

The People, Parks, and Dogs strategy PDF file (6 MB) provides a framework for the next ten years and beyond to deliver well-planned and designed parks that accommodate park users, with and without dogs.

The vision for the strategy is: 

• To promote the comfort and safety of all park users by fostering responsible dog ownership through clarifying rules, boundaries, and etiquette for dog off-leash activities in parks. 
• To integrate a variety of appealing and safe dog off-leash spaces in our parks that are easily accessed by local residents.

The recommendations fall within four themes.

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  Access

  

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

  Through mapping and analysis PDF file (354 KB), six 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 six 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 the City’s enforcement resources available for other dog-related activities.

  Learn more about the Access recommendations PDF file (698 KB).

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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 five types of dog off-leash areas to provide a variety of off-leash opportunities based on:

  • 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, and the comfort and safety of all. It is important to recognize trade-offs between size, durability of surfacing, potential conflicts amongst dogs, and budgeting constraints.
  • Surface materials: Intensity of use at each off-leash area is considered when deciding on surface materials. Other considerations include appeal to park users, comfort and safety for dogs, and 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).
  • Amenities: A variety of standard and special amenities support and attract higher intensities of use at dog off-leash areas, and helps keep dogs out of on-leash areas. View all the amenities identified in the strategy PDF file (1.6 MB).
  • 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, and community gardens. Clearly defining secure and permeable boundaries addresses potential conflict with adjacent park and neighbourhood uses, existing site features, site circulation, and 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 a simple and direct means of 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, challenges, and ask Park Board and City staff questions (including Operations, Park Rangers, and Animal Services teams)
  • Hosting education talks with experts such as animal welfare scientists on topics of interest like dog behaviour and health
  • Hosting pet-friendly events to support community cohesion and connections
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  Enforcement

  

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

  The City of Vancouver’s Animal Services group leads enforcement of dog activity in partnership with the Park Board.

  The City of Vancouver’s Animal Control By-law and the Park Board’s Parks Control By-law regulate where dogs can and cannot be off-leash, and 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.

What we are doing

Since the strategy was adopted in October 2017, we have been working towards implementing all of the recommendations.

Check out our current off-leash area projects around Vancouver.

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  Heather and Granville Parks

  The People, Parks, and Dogs strategy identified the importance of providing off-leash areas (OLAs) within a 15 minute walk for most residents.

  OLAs at Heather and Granville Parks will increase access for dog off-leash activity in three priority neighbourhoods that are currently under-served. Both Granville and Heather Parks have suitable space and amenities to support an off-leash area being added, while maintaining space for other activities.

  Upcoming public engagement will provide an opportunity for local residents to provide input as we work towards the implementation of new off-leash areas. 

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  Emery Barnes Park

  The People, Parks & Dogs strategy identified Downtown as a high priority neighbourhood in need of new and renewed dog off-leash areas.

  As one of the most highly used off-leash areas (OLAs) in Vancouver, it is essential to improve the Emery Barnes OLA to withstand frequent and heavy use. Due to a growing population of dogs in Downtown, an expansion of the OLA is also being proposed in order to further accommodate the high number of dogs using this space.

  Public engagement will be a key component of this project to ensure that perspectives from both dog owners and non-dog owners are heard. 

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  Coopers' Park

  A full renewal of the existing dog off-leash area in Coopers’ Park was approved by the Park Board on June 21, 2021.

  The renewal includes durable specialty surfacing, secure, high quality fencing, and special and standard amenities including:

  • An accessible walking loop
  • Separate areas for low intensity play
  • Agility and water play opportunities
  • Seating
  • Sheltered areas
  • Lighting to support all-season use
  • Green infrastructure features

  Phased construction for the off-leash area will begin in spring 2022. 

  Visit the project webpage for more information.