Increasing bylaw enforcement at Castlegar’s dog park may not be simple, city council has heard.
In an update provided this week, corporate services director Tracey Butler said she had a long talk with the SPCA about reopening the current animal control contract to provide more hours.
This followed council’s recent decision not to close the dog area at Millennium Park and look at other solutions in the wake of complaints from neighbours and pushback from dog owners who wanted the park saved.
Butler said she is waiting for the SPCA to report back on what it would cost to beef up enforcement by adding hours. However, she added it looks like they would have to hire a new employee to do that.
She said the SPCA suggested installing video cameras to capture repeat offenders, although their animal control officer has not found many of those.
“The problem with barking is you’ll have two people visiting the park with two dogs that bark and play, then they leave and five minutes later two more turn up that play and bark, and then two more turn up,” Butler said.
“It’s just that progression. It’s not always the same dogs barking. That’s not a bylaw infraction, so you couldn’t ticket for that.”
She said because it’s the only dog park in town, “perhaps it’s over congested. Maybe that’s something council needs to look at, installing another dog park in another area to try and spread out the population and use.”
Butler said she is hoping to provide a full report to council in November, but it depends how quickly she gets cost figures from the SPCA.
