Trout Lake dog walkers plan Sunday rally to defend unfenced off-leash area

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      Expect a dog-day afternoon on Sunday (June 1) at Trout Lake off Victoria Drive in East Vancouver.

      A Facebook page has been created for what's being billed as Save Trout Lake Dog Day.

      It's scheduled to take place from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in response to the Vancouver park board's intended master plan for John Hendry Park.

      The festivities are planned despite a statement posted on the park-board website on Friday (May 30), which declares that the master-planning process for John Hendry Park "is paused as the Park Board awaits the conclusion of a city-wide off leash dog process in 2015". 

      "The findings and recommendations will prove valuable in informing future plans for the entire Trout Lake project," the park board states.

      John Hendry Park includes an open dog off-leash area at the north end of Trout Lake.

      Park board documents say that this is one of the city's most popular off-leash areas, but that "its interface with the perimeter walking path has resulted in conflicts with other park users".

      park board survey of 1,035 people, including many living in the area, showed that nearly 60 pecent opposed fencing the off-leash area.

      The Facebook page created by rally organizers claims that the master plan "includes a proposed 80 percent cut to the off-leash area, as well as full enclosure".

      Tomorrow's event begins with a "Protest Signapalooza" at 12:30, with prizes for the "best doggie protest signs".

      That will be followed by a dog-trick competition, a musical-chair event featuring various mutts, and a doggy dress-up.

      The afternoon will culminate in a walk around the park with dogs on leashes.

      "Over 36 percent of Vancouver households have a dog, and with rapidly increasing development in East Vancouver, the Trout Lake off-leash area is more important than ever," the group states on its Facebook page. "And thousands of non-dog owners who regularly visit the off-leash area value it just as highly."

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Sometimes ok- sometimes not

      Jun 1, 2014 at 9:07am

      Not always the best dog/non dog interaction. Seems to be some people just let their dog go and then completely ignore what they are doing.

      cranky mom

      Jun 2, 2014 at 9:54am

      I used to live across from Trout Lake. As with anything, a couple crappy dog owners makes all dog owners look bad. Drum circles at 10pm were far more annoying.

      blah

      Jun 3, 2014 at 8:05am

      Hey mom, drum circles are annoying anytime. Dogs are only annoying when their owners don't pay attention.