A recent article stated that Vancouver City Council is considering [hi]lowering[/hi] fines for off-leash dogs, clearly indicating they’re totally out of touch with the daily hardship experienced by people and animals alike coping with the increasing number of aggressive dogs on the loose.

The dogs are not to blame, but as long as some owners use their dogs to project hostility and threat, control by restrictions and fines is essential to safeguard our parks and streets for all.

Lost Lagoon is a Vancouver gem - a place of beauty, serenity and a refuge for its wildlife but these qualities are vanishing, as more aggressive off-leash dogs populate the paths, to the point where people are nervous or afraid to enjoy the surroundings, and wildlife is injured or killed without compunction.

Lady, the beautiful little swan was only 2 ½ years old and just “coming into her own.” She gave such pleasure to all who encountered her – she deserved so much better than the brutal end she met at the teeth of an off-leash dog. This is just one more in a series of dog-attacks on these birds, who are unable to escape or defend themselves due to wing-pinioning.

When people who love the lagoon and park gently remind owners of loose dogs they should have them on a leash, they’re usually subjected to a diatribe of verbal abuse and threats, or ridicule. “He likes to round up the swans!” exclaimed one woman whose German Shepherd took to the water to pursue the terrified birds across the lagoon.

City Council’s latest initiative would guarantee the increase of such incidents. Whatever are they thinking of?! How about enforcing existing by-laws and fines to make Vancouver‘s “most livable city” status a reality!!
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