WATCH ABOVE: Zero tolerance for dogs caught off leash outside of designated areas. Marianne Dimain reports.
TORONTO — Dog owners, think twice before letting your pooch roam free in areas not designated off-leash — the city is cracking down.
The city wants to remind owners that all dogs must be kept on a leash whenever they are on any property other than an individual’s own, barring the city’s 57 designated leash-free parks.
Last July officials did a public education and enforcement blitz, and bylaw officers plan to focus on “city-wide enforcement” this summer.
“Owners are responsible for ensuring that their dogs do not run at large,” city staff said in a release. “A dog is considered running at large if it is unleashed, off its owner’s property and not under its owner’s control.”
There were 829 investigations into dogs off-leash and 161 charges laid in 2014. So far this year 924 investigations have resulted in 39 charges laid, according to the city.
The off-leash parks also have guidelines all pet owners must follow: dogs must be vaccinated, licensed and spayed or neutered. The dogs must also not have a history of aggression toward humans or biting.
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