PILOT PROJECT ON A LEASH
Dog lovers hope provincial park initiative grows
Never mind the Sturm und Drang over pit bulls in Montreal and Quebec — there’s another canine conundrum to solve: should dogs be allowed in Quebec’s provincial parks?
Most provincial parks across Canada welcome dogs with open arms, provided they are on a leash and behave. But canines have been forbidden in most of Quebec’s parks.
Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ), the agency that operates the provincial parks and wildlife reserves, is focused on conserving flora and fauna, as well as preserving peace and tranquillity. One particular concern, according to SEPAQ media relations manager Simon Boivin, is that dogs could chase small animals, forcing them to expend crucial energy needed for survival.
But in 2016, after years of reflection, SEPAQ decided to throw dog owners a bone.
The agency set up a three-year pilot project to test the waters, allowing dogs in three of its 27 parks: Oka, Jacques-Cartier and Frontenac. They added Aiguebelle and Lac-Témiscouata to the project this year. An independent committee
of researchers and veterinarians will advise SEPAQ, and a verdict on the future of the project is due by the end of the year.
“I’m very thrilled that they’re starting this initiative, and I think it’s long overdue,” said Dr. Amanda Glew of the Timberlea Veterinary Clinic in Kirkland. “As a veterinarian and as a canine owner, when I go (outdoors), I want my dog to be with me.”
She ventures to the United States in order to enjoy the outdoors with her black Labrador, Porter. And her fellow dog owners often avoid Quebec’s parks, or go to great lengths to sneak their dogs in, even slipping fake support animal vests on their canines. (SEPAQ allows support and guide dogs.)
“We’re just starting to catch up with some of the other provinces. It’s been a very anti-dog province,” said Glew.
The ban also puzzles Cynthia De Petrillo. The Longueuil-based television researcher and her husband are owners of Noah, a cocker spaniel.
“If you want to walk on Mont Royal, that’s fine, that’s great. But if you want to get out of the city, you have to do quite a bit of research, actually. To know where to go, to know where they’re not allowed,” she said. “The SEPAQ parks are
amazing, and they’re pretty much just a drive away, but dogs are not allowed.”
De Petrillo brought Noah to Oka, a smaller park on the north shore of Lac des Deux Montagnes, this summer and last.
“Everybody was happy to walk around with their dogs,” she recalled.
She hopes the project becomes permanent, but has one bone to
pick: no garbage receptacles on the trail for poop bags.
Boivin explained that signage was put up in the participating parks to inform visitors of the change, and the rules. Still, one dog owner and camper from Ottawa found her experience to be so stressful, she cut her three-night stay short.
In July, Eileen Ettinger and her husband brought their two small dogs, Nicky and Rudy, to SEPAQ’s Centre touristique du Lac- Simon, about a 21/2-hour drive northwest from Montreal.
“We were totally unwelcome with our dogs,” according to the avid camper. She said she was stopped five times by park staff to inquire about her pets, and felt like she was being followed. Three fellow patrons interrogated her, with one woman on a beach admonishing: “I have been coming here for 25 years, and dogs are not allowed here.”
The thing is, dogs have always been allowed at Lac-Simon. It is one of five Centres touristique (which are different from provincial parks) that do allow dogs. But Ettinger’s experience suggests that if SEPAQ permits dogs, there could be growing pains when the policy is applied to more parks.
“We’re sorry for her experience,
but I don’t think it’s a largely shared experience, because we didn’t receive a lot of that kind of complaint,” explained Boivin. He said there were no major reported incidents involving dogs since the project began, and that attendance numbers have not changed in the participating parks.
There are a few rules that dog owners need to follow. Dogs must be kept on a leash that’s at most three metres long at all times, and aren’t permitted in all areas. Owners must clean up after dogs and make sure they are not aggressive or misbehave. And the same rule applies to everyone: stay on the trail.
“Dog owners have to recognize: this is a privilege. This is very important. Don’t break the rules,” advised Glew, “because the rest of us are really excited about being able to start bringing our animals with us.”
I’m very thrilled that they’re starting this initiative, and I think it’s long overdue. As a veterinarian and as a canine owner, when I go (outdoors), I want my dog to be with me.