I was wondering what the history of the draconian dog laws here in Ontario was.

Is it only in Ontario or is it Canada wide?

It doesn't come from the US as you quite often se programs where owners are throwing frisbee's for dogs in parks.

One good thing is the fact that dog owners don't leave the dog waste in parks, this in the UK I believe simply because the parks don't police it properly. But saying that, it was never that bad.

I miss the ability to take the dogs to a park, find a quiet area and let them run. I used to take them around Gunnersbury park in West London, sometimes when we reached crowded areas, I'd call them and leash them, usually though this wasn't required. There was never any problems.

Here, its not allowed. I cannot let them run, even in an empty park or sports fields. There are walking areas in the countryside, still they have to be kept on the lead, they cannot excercise!!

There are dog parks, BUT, my wife cannot drive and cannot get there when I'm working away.

So why oh why do we have these draconian rules, are the rule makes merely dog haters???

I would suggest you visit Florida, if you can find a place that will rent to you with a Pet, if you do, you will pay a hefty premium.

Dogs are not allowed on any Beaches, or in most parks, and if you stay in a motel, most charge at least $5 a night extra for the dog.

We were complaining of this situation, and were directed to an area where the Beach was set aside, poop bags were provided, large signs indicated dogs to be leashed.

Place was full of dog crap, all over the ground, beach had several very large Lab type dogs running loose, we quickly became sympathetic to the rules.

My Yorkie is always leashed, always cleaned up after, yet in our beautiful parks there are always people, letting their dogs run loose,dog poop litters the grass, and the dog owners become aggressively confrontational when you point out the signs.

Unfortunate, but a few bad apples have spoiled it for all.

Maybe they were cats? My cat is happy that all the dogs here are on leads or behind fences, she can taunt them and run away

There is a lovely large Off Leash area in Red Deer - but most folks would have to drive seeing as you can't take your dog on a bus The rules for the off leash area are that your dog must be under your control and you must have a leash handy.

I for one like the idea of all dogs on a leash as, as a new dog owner I have been amazed at the amount of yappy monsters that want to attack my dog as we are walking along, it has now got to the stage where I bring my dog out of the way of oncomming potential attackers.

At the off leash area the dogs tend to be more socialized, and better trained, I am still obedience training my dog, so he has a long line rather being totally off leash - then if a potential trouble spot hits I can grab his line and save any potential disaster. I do use this technique during the quieter times of day when walking in our local green space. A lot of dogs are let off leash in non off leash areas here. I should think there would only be a major complaint if someones dog ate someone elses though.

If your wife cannot drive, that cannot be the only inconvenience she is experiencing. There must be many others.

Most of Canada is organised around cars. That's not one of the country's more endearing features to me, but that's the way it is. If you want life to be comfortable in most parts of Canada, you need to drive, no ands, ifs or buts. Your wife has a couple of options, carry on complaining about it, or learn to drive.

As to the practical matter of giving your dog exercise, in my neighbourhood I sometimes see people roller blading or cycling with their dogs running next to them on leashes. When I see this, the dog almost invariably is large and presumably needs a good deal of exercise. I assume the owners have figured out that this is a way in which they can give their large dogs the exercise they need. I don't see this in winter, when there's snow on the ground, so I don't know what they do then. Maybe they drive to the off leash parks.

There are lots of parks in Toronto that have off leash areas specified, and of course lots of areas that don't where people do it anyway. I used to walk to the subway past a large sports field that belonged to a local school that had huge no dog signs but it was invariably filled with people walking dogs, both on and off leash. Glad I didn't have to play sports on that field.
High Park in Toronto has quite a large off leash area called Dog Hill or something similar which concentrates all the off leash dog activity in a large area out of the way.
Even in my local neighbourhood I see little dogs running around off leash up and down the street, usualy sans owner. Personally I think they should prohibit all dogs from public streets and leave them to private areas only, might make the streets a little cleaner, but currently there are lots of places you can go walk your dog off leash.

The by-law Nazis can’t issue tickets on First Nations land so, as long as the First Nations don’t mind, this can be great place to let your dog run free. We are lucky in White Rock that a good section of the beach is in the Semiahmoo reserve. It is dog heaven.

We have also found that some parks or open areas become de-facto off-leash runs by usage. They tend to be local parks that are used regularly by the same group of people. It is worth keeping an eye out for these. As long as your dog is not aggressive and is well trained (will stop, sit, stay and come on command) and you pickup after it you will usually be welcome to join in.

So, all you Dog Owners who watch Fido poop on the other side of the park, I bet you $50 that is where it stays ???

A recent walk nearly became a disaster as an off leash Jack Russell Terrier, a very nasty breed, attacked our dog and had it by the throat before we could move.

My dog is a small breed, our choice, but that does not mean it should be a target for larger animals.?

Not at the Holiday Inn, any of the Comfort Inn chain hotels, or any Sheraton owned property. Nor at the Days Inn nor the Hilton owned suite chain. All they require is that the dog not be brought through the main lobby and not be left alone in the room to frighten the cleaning staff.

Do any of you knowledgeable peeps out there know what the rules are for Saskatchewan regards to dogs running free. Or how do you find out...I assume the local town office would tell me..is this correct?

At home here our two dogs are never on leads....we live beside the beach and it is quite stony so not one used by wee kids or anyone really other than dog walkers...they run free for as much as they want. So if they have to be leashed in Sask..they will go mad...as will I.

I can't remember the place We stayed at in Clearwater, I thought it was part of the Hilton Group, could be wrong, I know they charged us $250 for the week for the Dog..

I remember as I was checking us in, My Wife came in with Max, clerk told us Dogs couldn't stay, I pointed to sign on desk which mentioned charges for Dogs, Young lady got really vocal, old policy blah blah, older gentleman to rescue, took over, checked us in, explained girl was new Recruit on Management Development program.

I for one am training my dog to stay within 20-30 feet of me when we are out walking - that way I will see when he poops. I am disgusted when I see other dogs poop everywhere, especially as there are free poop bags all over the place.

Dog crap is dog crap, wherever it may be.
It's not dogs who have dirty habits, it's the owners.

I certainly have feelthy habits. My dog however isn't allowed to be a trouble to anyone (except Mennonites, we do all we can but that can't be helped). It's not difficult to pick up after a dog and in many places in Toronto there are even plastic bag racks so the equipment is right at hand.