If you live in Mt. Pleasant, I bet you’re as frustrated as I am. We’re all using the school yard (or China Creek North, Sahalli or Robson Park) as a way to socialize, exercise and stimulate our pups, knowing in the back of our heads that we’re on borrowed time. Lets face it: these are not off-leash dog parks, and we’re just holding onto hope that the school, parents, Park Board and park users will continue to tolerate our irregular presence there.

But as schools lock their grounds and the City of Vancouver drags their feet regarding investing in more dog infrastructure, we need to get our act together.

The first thing you can do is inform yourself.

Tension between dog owners and the broader public has always existed—and it’s only grown as the city densifies and more people live in apartments. Way back in 2017, Vancouver’s Board of Parks and Recreation published a comprehensive report on the state of Vancouver’s dog off-leash spaces, with very telling conclusions. I recommend that you scan through it yourself, but here’s the main takeaway:

Mount Pleasant was identified as the most under-served neighbourhood in the city of Vancouver.

While being among the areas with the highest densities of licenced dogs, Mt. Pleasant suffers from having a complete absence of proper off-leash spaces. And this was before the pandemic adoption wave!

See the image below:

Depending where you live in our hood, accessing an off-leash dog park means walking up to 3 kilometers each way just to follow our city by-laws. How are we suppose to comply, properly exercise their dogs, and still manage everything else in daily life?

The end result? Dog owners are left with no real options and end up using spaces that aren’t designed—or safe—for off-leash activity:

This heatmap represents the amount of dog-related 3-1-1 calls throughout the city.

Let’s zoom in a bit…

The areas around Guelph Park and Mount Pleasant Elementary, as well as Robson Park, are two of the worst offenders in the city. They're among the few parks without off-leash areas that each generated over 100 dog-related complaints in the reported timeframe. Overlay it with the blue areas of off-leash parks access map and the picture becomes clear: The demand for off-leash space is high, and the current infrastructure isn't meeting it.

Are we getting angry yet?

While we find ways to prevent yet another school from locking of their yard after 5pm, we ultimately have to keep an eye on the bigger picture. We NEED a fully fenced, permanent off-leash dog park that can keep our pups safe and happy in the neighborhood, with:

• Grass (not dirt; not gravel)

• Garbage bins

• Access to water for our dogs

• Sheltered areas (for rainy or hot days)

Sounds like a lot? It shouldn’t be! It’s been 8 years since this report came out, with a 10-year strategic plan in place. What do they have to show for themselves??

The lack of dog-friendly infrastructure in our neighbourhood is creating unnecessary conflict—putting valid community needs against each other. Locking school grounds and tightening the rules in mixed-use parks doesn't solve the problem; it only shifts pressure to elsewhere. Dogs will continue to need a space to run, play and be a dog, whether they're allowed to or not. Investing in dedicated dog spaces will act as a pressure valve, relieving strain on shared public areas within the community. But the city is just not prioritizing this!

What can we do about it?

Our first coordinated step should be sending synchronized emails to our representatives to make it clear: we’ve had enough, our patience is gone, and this issue won’t disappear on its own. I plan to coordinate a campaign of this nature through the mailing list, hopefully soon.

Although a synchronized effort will always have a bigger impact, there's still plenty you can do on an individual level. Concretely, you need to be vocal. Speak up—politely—with friends, family, and neighbours. Canada is not huge on confrontation, but civil conversations can and does shift minds! You’ll hear concerns about dogs digging holes, jumping on people, or leaving messes. Acknowledge those concerns; they’re valid! Starting from that common ground instead of getting defensive can win you a new advocate.

This isn’t about “dog owners versus everyone else”, it’s about balancing competing needs and working together to solve a shared problem. We need public solutions that create compromises everyone can live with. And that begins with shifting our mindset—from defensiveness to action.

If you want to come along in this journey, whether to just stay informed or take a more active stance and help me organize, send me your email! I will only be sending out comms around dog park advocacy within the lower mainland, and your contact information will not be shared outside of these specific efforts.