Well-exercised and socialized dogs are happier, healthier, and more safe in our community.

Conversely, dogs that are not properly exercised nor socialized are more likely to cause harm to other dogs, children, and property.

Unfortunately the City of Toronto has placed unnecessary barriers in our way to exercising and socializing our furry family members. By doing so, the City is inadvertently making dog attacks more likely.

Further to this, the City has the gall—and apparently the budget despite a less than ideal financial situation—for by-law officers to drive around and ticket responsible dog owners. The City is somehow prioritizing ticketing dog owners over all the other more pressing issues our City faces and has influence and control over: from the municipally-declared Climate Emergency, to inadequate public transit, and insufficient affordable housing, to name but a few of the far higher priorities the City ought to be acting on with urgency.

The solution is simple: the City needs to accommodate responsible dog owners, and rather focus their limited resources on issues that really matter.

We call on David Lichacz (Parks Supervisor) and Councilors Paula Fletcher and Brad Bradford to:

1. Allow off-leash dogs at Greenwood and Orchard Parks. Large portions of these parks are otherwise infrequently used. In the winter, the fields of Greenwood Park and the south-west area of Orchard Park are scarcely frequented by people. Responsible dog owners manage to exercise and keep their dogs within those areas allowing for the odd passers-by to cut across both parks without interference. In the summer, the dog community works around the soccer matches, baseball games, pickup ultimate frisbee meet-ups, picnics and the like, such that neither park use interferes with the other. There are areas and times to which off-leash dogs can easily be accommodated at these parks.
   
   
2. Stop ticketing responsible dog owners exercising their dogs in the only options available to them. Reallocate our limited city budget away from these unnecessary activities of by-law officers, and shift those much needed funds to more pressing issues, not the least of which include decarbonizing city infrastructure, vastly improving our public transit, developing more affordable housing, etc.