Commercial dog walkers oppose ban from area at city park

Toronto is banning commercial dog walkers from an off-leash area in a popular park after complaints from residents and dog walkers say they're determined to fight the ban.

Signs posted by the city say commercial dog walkers will be banned from the off-leash area at RamsdenPark, near Davenport and Avenue roads, starting Sept. 19. The ban follows complaints from local residents mainly about noise, according to the local councillor.

But commercial dog walkers say they weren't consulted about the policy and that their livelihood is on the line.

Rebecca Riddell, owner of Bark Buddies Toronto, a company that provides dog daycare, walking and boarding, said this week she emailed the city about the ban at the off-leash area at the park, but heard nothing back.

"I'm really upset with the way that it's come about because we weren't included in the discussion whatsoever. It appears that only the immediate residents of the area were included in the discussion. We were completely kept in the dark and this decision was moved forward without our opinions," Riddell said.

"It's really bad for my business because we don't have anywhere else to go."

The issue came before city council this summer, when councillors passed a two-part motion brought by Coun. Dianne Saxe in late June.

Riddell has started a petition to have the ban reversed. Nearly 1,000 people have signed the petition, which proposes that commercial dog walkers be allowed to access the park between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The time would align with "current usage patterns" and would reduce potential disturbances to residents during peak hours, according to the petition. She said the idea is a compromise to address noise concerns while ensuring access for dog walkers.

The petition says the ban is "unjust, unfounded, and negatively impacts our community and local businesses."

'There's noise in every city park'

Riddell said she is also concerned about the impact of the ban on the well-being of the dogs in her care.

Her company walksdogs roughly 40 pounds and under, and the ban means she will have to take themto other parks where they might have to mix with larger ones, which could pose dangers to them.

She said a new dog park could be built on the other side of Ramsden Park, closer to Yonge Street, where there are fewer houses.

Jenn Reck, owner of Barking Up The Right Tree, a small dog walking company, said the ban will mean she will have to spend more on gas, driving the dogs to parks further away. Walking dogs on leash means dogs get only one type of stimulation and don't get the chance to play with other dogs or interact with humans, she said.

"We're taking the dogs out of their own neighbourhood to different parks that aren't even in their neighbourhood, so it directly affects me," she said.

"We have no chance to defend ourselves, no chance to give alternate solutions. It all happened very fast and it's really unsettling."

Reck said noise at the park is generated by all sorts of park users, not only dog walkers and their dogs.

"There's noise in every city park. There's the pickleball people complain about it all the time. There's tennis balls, there's kids screaming, there's kids with whistles in their mouths playing soccer," she said. "It's a park."

'Opinions are divided,' councillor says

Saxe, who represents University-Rosedale, said local residents have been unhappy about the noise generated by the dog park for years.

Saxe's motion saw council ask city staff to come up with criteriato decide on sites for commercial dog walkersand propose a list of those sites ina report due later this year.

"Opinions are divided. I'm aware that we have grossly inadequate space for dogs; that's why we need the master plan that staff are working on," Saxe said in a text message this week.

"Those who live close to the dog off-leash areasay thatwhen [it] was created, they were promised that remedial action would be taken if barking caused them unreasonable disturbance, and that they have suffered unreasonable disturbance for years, but nothing has been done," she added.

"Taking a break from commercial dog walkers will allow everyone to assess how much they contribute to this chronic disturbance."

Saxe promised to meet with commercial dog walkers in September.

City says it's implementing changes at park

A city spokesperson said the city monitors the volume of complaints and then deploys bylaw enforcement officers "based on a priority response model that takes into account the frequency and persistence of complaints and issues in parks."

"As with any bylaw, the city first attempts to educate people about the rules. The goal is to resolve issues and ensure that residents are following the bylaw,"Elise von Scheel wrote in a statement.

Sam Vise, a director of the ABC Residents Association, which serves the interests of residents in the surrounding areas, said he wants the off-leash area moved to the park's east side. Vise's home backs onto one section of the park.

"The challenge that we're having is the volume has increased, which has addedmore noise in that area," he said.