scottandsel

hi all - we're off to canada soon and taking our two boxers with us (avatar pic) i know bout dog parks an keepin them on leads, an dog licences in some provinces etc
anyway due to bad experiences here in greece made me wonder how are dogs in general percieved in canada?
thanks in advance

LinsyPinsy

We were in Vancouver in the summer and I have to say its one of the things that surprised us about the place. They have signs for the owners reminding you to clean up/keep on lead etc and are also converted into doggy language(wuff wuff..grr grr)...which is a nice touch!! Now, I dont live there (yet) but it did seem that dogs are tolerated well as long as they are on leads as far as I could see anyway, but I'm sure some of those who actually live there will give a better appraisal of how they are percieved.
Where are you headed?
lns

Esme

depends where you live. I live in rural Newfoundland and dogs wander the streets in much the same way they did in 1970s England. Dogs are a commodity - if one gets run over it gets run over. You can always get another one. We don't have a vet in town and people don't drive to the nearest town if their dog's injured. I've lived in Ontario where dogs are treated much the same way we treat them back home and rural Nova Scotia where it's a mixed bag - some treat them like they do here, some treat them like they did back home. Whereabouts are you heading?

Esme

How very BC - more crazy than the Brits!

ann m

Well-behaved dogs are tolerated well. Probably why I get a bit stressed with my two then!

Every third house seems to have dogs in them.

Small dogs are popular - never seen so many fluffy bundles on legs (I can't talk though 'cos I've got two small/medium sized woofers now too).

On-leash areas are in the majority and very by-law regulated. Off-leash areas are very specific and are very by-law regulated.

There is no open land to just go walking with the dogs, like crown land or parks in the UK, and I wouldn't got trekking across someone's farm here either. Land is privately owned. You could head out to the Provincial Parks though, and municipally run off-leash areas.

Find a house with as big a garden as you can to let them run around, and if you are going suburban, check out the dog walking areas close by. It's a pain the bum to have to load up cars and specifically drive somewhere to take the dogs for a walk, as pretty as that place might be.

Greenhill

Where I am, people love dogs (including the people who don't own one, but most people around here have at least one).

Many locals just let their dogs roam freely during the day and most members of the local community allow this to happen without complaint.

Some of these dogs, though, are of the "coyote" breed and have no owners. But I'm sure, for the most part, they are just perceived to be part of the local community.

Today we took our dog to a local beach. Almost every person we saw just went over to her and started playing with her. No one asked if she was vicious. No one asked for permission to touch her and certainly no one asked if she was rabid; or if she was a coyote.

kate 17

I wanted to take my dog on a bus and was refused. They are not welcome on the train either.

LinsyPinsy

where was that?
lns

Joe_Sleepy

Where we are in Halifax everyone seems to own dogs. We own an American Bulldog & an English Bull Terrier (potentially scary to some) & they are both very well tolerated. It would be wise to check the asinine breed specific laws in the province you plan to live in as they vary vastly across the country..

kate 17

In Ontario. I don't think dogs should be treated that way. They are beautiful dignified animals a lot nicer than some people.

LinsyPinsy

Oh craps, thats rubbish! In Van people seemed to adore the wee doggies. Shame about Ontario.
lns

JonboyE

Almost every other household seems to have a dog or dogs around here. No problem anywhere outdoors (except children's play areas) as long as they are well behaved and on a leash.

There are a few off-leash parks, the beach on the reservation, and lots of other trails where off-leash dogs are OK as long as they are under control.

TheThornes

Pretty much agree with this quote (probably as I live in the same town!).

Bichons seem very popular but there also seems to be a lot of Huskies and Labs too.

Most owners seem responsible but there's always the exception of course. Plenty of bins and poop bags provided by the Town but doesn't prevent you coming across little parcels that haven't been scooped up. Everyone seems very tolerant towards dogs. I take my two little furry friends to the local dog off-leash area every day and it seems like half the people I meet down there know my dogs by name now!

Piff Poff

There are tons of dog owners around here too. Lots of people have little yappers as they don't think they need to be walked and then there are loads that have big dogs - rotties/boxers/labs etc and also don't think they need to be walked which is why the damn things bark all the time:curse:

There is a local of leash dog park - soon to be two and as there are also loads of trail systems in Red Deer there is always somewhere different to go as well. One thing I really like about winter is the fact that most dog owneres don't think their dog requires exercise in the winter so Henry and I have the trails and lakes mainly to ourselves, mind it is nice to be able to stop and chat with the local dog owners that actually walk their dogs in the warmer weather.

I'm not surprised to not be able to allow dogs on public transit, just because you love your dog it doesn't mean other people should have to put up with it.

kate 17

I love everybody's dog and I would like to see them treated like the intelligent creatures they are.