Thursday June 17th, 2010 - Puppy Police Patrolling Pooch Parks

The Burnaby parks department is patrolling the city’s parks to keep an eye on you and your dog. Originally, these puppy patrols were carried out by the B.C. SPCA but due to a change in staffing and funding, the task has been taken over by the city. The parks department will be patrolling five days a week until September 20th.

Parks under the radar include Burnaby Heights, Barnet Beach, Robert Burnaby, Deer Lake, Ron McLean and David Gray. These are the areas that receive the most complaints. Patrols will be looking for dogs off leash, for owners not cleaning up after their pets, for animals being in areas such as on trails and sports fields where postings state dogs are prohibited and for noisy, misbehaving animals.

Dog owners will be given pamphlets to explain the rules. If signage on areas where dogs are not allowed is not clear, the park patrols will take note. Patrols will also take note of areas that need additional maintenance. So far the patrols have spoken to 167 dog owners and several people using the park who did not have puppies present. Feedback from all parties will be used to improve the communication with and education of dog owners.