First, a confession. I have been a dog owner for 30-plus years. I love dogs.
I know too not everyone feels the same. I have a friend that had a traumatic childhood encounter with a dog and remains fearful and another who is allergic. Many people quickly cross the street when they see a dog approach.
I accept that; dogs are not for everyone. But according to The Canadian Animal Health Institute the number of dogs increased to 7.9M in 2022. More people own dogs now than at any other time in our country’s history. If you can believe the numbers, that is one dog for every 5 people!
That is why I think it is important for everyone – those who adore dogs and those that don’t – that we build dog parks. It is why I quickly picked up a neglected file I inherited after the 2018 election and eventually secured funding for a second dog park in Thornhill.
The City of Markham, as its residents might well expect, aims high in its pursuit of excellence. We set out to build the best. However, when it comes to dog parks “one size does not fit all.” That is why I have advocated for a three-tier “gold-silver-bronze” style approach that considers local conditions and available area, community needs/desires/concerns, and necessary amenities.
Our Parks Planning team, with decades of experience in the science of building parks (and trust me it is a science), tells me there is nearly nothing more contentious than siting a dog park in an established urban area.
The benefits of dog parks are many and dogs, love ‘em or leave ‘em, are here to stay.
Photo Note: the collage shows a “bronze-style” dog park in Manhattan (when I visited in 2019) and the official opening with Mayor Scarpitti and Councillor Keyes of a “gold-style” dog park in Cornell last summer.