Dog Management in our Parks iCare Presentation to District of West Vancouver May 5, 2008

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Contents  iCare Vision  Objectives  Vancouver Situation Analysis  Calgary Model  West Vancouver Situation Analysis  Licensing  Enforcement  No Dog Parks  Park Criteria  Recommendations  Page  3  4  5  6-7  8  9 10  11  12  13-15

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Vision  iCare: Informed Citizens Advocating for Responsibility and Enforcement  iCare envisions a caring community where people behave responsibly and respect each other.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Objectives  An approach that will result in dog owners & non-dog owners enjoying park space in safety & harmony.  For West Vancouver to learn and benefit from dog management experiences in Vancouver and Calgary.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Vancouver Situation Analysis  1997: Off-leash program begins.  26 parks rolled-out quickly with only input from dog-related groups, not the community. Results:  #1 complaint to Park Board: dogs. (Source: Ian Robertson)  Synovate Research telephone poll in 2003:  60% have witnessed or experienced problems with an off-leash dog.  82% want Animal Control bylaws enforced.  Education-based program failed (10 years).

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Calgary Model  Vancouver now adopting the Calgary model  Calgary has most successful program in North America  Highest licensing compliance (>90%).  $3.5 million annual operating budget, generated through license and penalty revenue  Return lost dogs and enforce the Animal Control Bylaw without any funding from taxes.  West Vancouver should use the most successful program in North America as a model.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Calgary Model  Encourages responsible pet ownership through:  Licensing  Public education  Enforcement.  Zero tolerance for unlicensed dogs ($250 fine).  A licensed dog is one phone call away from going home.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Situation Analysis  West Vancouver vs Calgary: West VancouverCalgary Licensing~50%>90% # of dogs~2,750 licensed100,000 Off-leash tickets issued/month Revenue Earned~$50k$3.5M Off-leash Areas per City sq km No dog parks per Total parks~25%38%

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Licensing  ~$50k not paid in licenses for West Vancouver.  Increasing licensing was first step for Calgary.  Licensing conduit for responsible dog ownership.  “The best way to have more … dog areas is to have better dogs.” - Bill Bruce, Director, Bylaw and Animal Services, Calgary

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Enforcement & Public Safety  Why do we enforce?  Dogs bite 460,000 Canadians annually, 75% of whom are under the age of 10. (Source: Canada Safety Council)  107 dog attacks reported in 2007 in West Vancouver (Source: E.S. Holitzki).  Education instead of enforcement failed in Vancouver.  Year-round enforcement is essential part of Calgary’s success.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Proposed Changes: # of No Dog Parks  Report shows that tiny % of park space will be no dog.  Calgary 38% (3,400 ha) of park space is no dog.  “You need no dog areas, as then the people who don’t want to be around dogs, for whatever reason, have places to go.” - Bill Bruce, Director of Animal and Bylaw Services, Calgary

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Park Criteria  5 m not sufficient for children or picnic areas.  Respect feeding birds & wildlife along the shoreline.  Public health is compromised whenever dog waste hits the ground.  Pathogens can live in soil or sand for up to 2 years from dog feces and from remnants that remain when picked up. (Source: ENCAMS)  Roundworms may cause permanent nerve or eye damage. Hookworms can cause serious damage to the intestines.  Children who play outside most at risk.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Recommendations 1.Get licensing up to 90%. Invite Bill Bruce to West Vancouver to discuss Calgary’s responsible dog model and success. 2.Year-round dedicated bylaw officer for ticketing, paid for through licensing. 3.Choose two appropriate parks to open up to dogs when licensing reaches 65%, and monitor results.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Recommendations 4.Establish more rigorous health & safety and environmental criteria  Entire parks with playground equipment should be no dog.  Respect current no dog parks for children (e.g. Tantalus, Park Verdun, Horseshoe Bay, Whytecliff)  Respect school walking routes that reduce driving (e.g. Tantalus, Batchelor Bay)  Respect current Picnic areas & parks (e.g. Whytecliff west of Marine)  Respect 100% of swimming beach parks (e.g. Radcliffe, Sandy Cove, Stearman, Pilot, Larson, Bachelor, Copper Cove, Whytecliff)  No dog access for streams due to dog waste, as well as for salmon, & for shorelines where wildlife feeds.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5, Recommendations 5.Improve existing off-leash areas, as has been done in Seattle (Coladog.org) through empowering owners to fundraise for amenities. 6.Seek community support, not just consultation  Conduct statistically valid telephone survey regarding any proposed park changes and ensure neighborhoods support changes to their parks.  Establish community planning group as per Ambleside.

iCare Parks and Pets Presentation – May 5,  For more information or to join iCare: