WATCH ABOVE: A group of Edmontonians is calling on city council to protect their pets. Vinesh Pratap has more.
EDMONTON – Some Edmontonians are calling on the city to protect their four-legged friends.
There are concerns about an off-leash area at Grand Trunk Park, located on 127 Avenue where the speed limit is 60 kilometres per hour.
A group of pet owners presented anecdotal evidence to a city committee Monday, pitching the idea of a fence to prevent dogs from running into traffic.
But the city says there’s still work to be done. There will be consultations, with a report to be presented to council later this year.
“We don’t know how many people want a dog fence,” said Ward 3 Councillor Dave Loken. “We had four people in front of us. We might have 400 people that say they don’t want a dog fence.”
Sheila Campeau is one of those people. She has three dogs, and has been coming to Grand Trunk since 2010.
She compares the site to a backyard.
“If you don’t train your animal properly, and they run out on the street, I don’t think it’s up to the city to pay for it.”
The group asking for the fence estimates it could cost up to $70,000.
But some pet owners are willing to compromise.
“Even if a section of it, or half of it, is fenced off for those whose dogs are a little more nervous, they can use that and the other dogs can have the rest of the area,” said Tyna Guillon. ”
“Sometimes they get nervous and run off, and they don’t look for traffic the way the rest of us do.”
There are 40 off-leash sites in Edmonton.
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