
A leash-optional pilot program will be launching on Friday at specific City of Penticton parks.
Dog walkers and park users are encouraged to share their experiences over the next six months as the city gathers feedback to help determine whether these leash-optional locations become permanent.
Council gave the go-ahead for the trial period, following successful lobbying by a citizen group concerned with the lack of green dog-friendly spaces in the city.
The five parks chosen for the six-month trial period include:
- Riverside Park
- Okanagan Lake Park
- Skaha Park Main
- Skaha Park East
- 1900 Penticton Ave (Entrance to Water Treatment Plant)
“We will be collecting feedback from each of the five locations to determine what works – and what doesn’t,” Ysabel Contreras, Parks Planning and Capital Project Coordinator said in a press release.
Park users can share their experiences by scanning a QR code at the selected park, or by filling out a feedback form online at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.
Detailed maps of the section dogs may be off-leash are available at penticton.ca/dog-parks or on the project page at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.
Tips for dog owners that choose to go off-leash in the trial spaces include:
- Have your dog within sight and under verbal control at all times
- Pick up your dog’s waste
- Stop your dog from running into or jumping up on people
- Have current dog licence tags
- Not have more than 2 dogs per person
Feedback will be collected until Saturday, Aug. 31, which is also when the pilot project wraps up.
"As a reminder, city staff will be monitoring feedback throughout the pilot project and may make adjustments to the availability of the off-leash areas at any time," the city said.
"After August 31, dogs must be leashed in the designated areas until city council decides whether the leash-optional spaces become permanent."