Howls of outrage greet city’s ‘no barking’ sign at Toronto dog park

Thestar.com
March 9, 2023

Amid howls of outrage from dog owners, the city has removed a recently installed sign from a downtown dog park that warned “excessive barking will not be tolerated.”

Around lunchtime Wednesday, as reporters were interviewing dog owners venting about the sign that had appeared in recent days, two city workers suddenly appeared, snipped the ties holding the sign and marched it away.

The warning, at St. Andrew’s off-leash park, near Spadina Avenue and Adelaide Street, had read: “Due to the closeness of the area residents, do not allow your dogs to bark and disturb the neighbourhood. Excessive barking will not be tolerated.”

The city removed signs Wednesday that warned against “excessive barking” at St. Andrew’s Dog Park in downtown Toronto.

“We thought it was hilarious -- we were just talking about (the sign) and they took it down,” said dog owner Heather Brooks.

She said she understands some people work at home and barking might be bothersome, but dog owners try to keep their pets as quiet as possible.

“They’re just having fun playing. It’s like putting up a sign at a kids’ playground saying no screaming or laughing,” Brooks said.

Dog park was built before nearby condos
Sam Lynch, another dog owner who lives in an adjacent building said, “Dogs do about five things and barking is one of them.”

Kids in a nearby playground make more noise than the dogs, he said, adding the dog park was there before the newest and closest condo building.

“It’s like ‘Don’t buy a unit that looks over train tracks and complain about the trains,’” Lynch said.

When one dog started making noise, its owner jokingly yelled “No barking! Didn’t you read the sign?”

But Shahista Lalani, walking her towering Doberman past the park, had sympathy for residents subjected to growls and howls that bounce between the buildings.

“Larger parks with trees, you don’t hear them like this,” she said.

In an email, city spokesperson Magdalena Stec said: “The sign at the off-leash area does not meet city standards and has been removed.

“Although the sign was placed at this location with the intention of helping users of the off-leash area and neighbouring residents coexist harmoniously, we recognize that the information did not meet the mark.”

Toronto to review its signage policy
Stec said the city will review “its sign approval process to ensure clear communication in future signs,” adding: “The city works to balance the needs of a range of park users and local communities.

“With more than 70 dog off-leash areas in Toronto parks, the vast majority of users of these well-loved amenities are considerate of the local community and interact with their canine companions while visiting, which helps to reduce excessive barking,” she said.

“While barking is expected at off-leash areas, excessive barking can be disruptive to neighbours.”

Toronto’s off-leash enclosures have, since they were established, sparked friction between canine owners, other park users and neighbours. The city dismantled one off-leash enclosure, in Ledbury Park, after a teeth-baring turf war.

Two years ago, somebody started padlocking gates into Wychwood Barns Park. Dog owners suspected a woman in an adjacent building who would aim a speaker at them, from her window, and play audio of loudly barking dogs.

During the pandemic, the city saw a jump in complaints about people gathering and letting their dogs run free in unfenced areas of parks despite a requirement that the animals be leashed to protect children and other park users.