School district enforcing animal ban on playing fields

At 110 pounds and only two years old, Ginger the great dane gallops around the field at Ruth King elementary like a small horse. For Langford, this is dog central.

Offering wide open greenspace amid busy residential neighbourhoods, the school grounds have long played a role as an unofficial off-leash dog park. Ten or 15 canines wrestling and running is a common sight after school hours.

B次元官网网址淭his place is a godsend to us. Dogs need good exercise and to be socialized around other dogs,B次元官网网址� says Lora Kossen, 30, the owner of Ginger. B次元官网网址淲e are new to Langford so this is a huge way to meet people and get into the community.B次元官网网址�

Unfortunately, the fieldB次元官网网址檚 popularity with dog owners has made it ground-zero for the Sooke School DistrictB次元官网网址檚 unpalatable problem with poop. The district has recently and quietly changed gears B次元官网网址� once largely tolerated outside classroom hours, dogs are now overtly banned from the schoolyard.

District officials say the volume of uncollected dog poop on its fields B次元官网网址� and particularly at Ruth King B次元官网网址� has graduated from a nuisance to a possible health hazard.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e always had a policy of no dogs on the fields. For years we have turned a blind eye, but we canB次元官网网址檛 do that anymore,B次元官网网址� says Trent Pryor, SD 62 facilities supervisor. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e seen it for myself B次元官网网址� somebody letting their dog defecate on the field and then walking away. This is not an acceptable way to behave in the city.B次元官网网址�

The district is changing signs at its schools to reflect the renewed enforcement of the no-animal policy, particularly at the most problematic and soiled schools B次元官网网址� Ruth King, Willway elementary and John Stubbs Memorial.

Over the past years, the district has fielded a litany of complaints from sports groups who rent space and are forced to clean fields littered with doggy land mines. Kids at Ruth King have tracked dog crap into the school, which brings up a host of sanitary concerns, Pryor says. District staff, police and bylaw enforcement even held a B次元官网网址減oop symposiumB次元官网网址� to brainstorm ideas on how to solve the problem.

B次元官网网址淭he Ruth King field has escalated beyond control,B次元官网网址� Pryor says. B次元官网网址淭he whole problem comes with a minority of people who donB次元官网网址檛 pick up after their dogs, and it impacts everyone.B次元官网网址�

Ruth King principal Garry Manhas and his staff shovel up dog poop as a daily, early morning routine. He too has witnessed errant dog owners attempting to abandon their dogB次元官网网址檚 mess on school grounds.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 frustrating is what it is,B次元官网网址� Manhas says. B次元官网网址淎ll people have to do is pick up after their pets. B次元官网网址�

The school grounds are an active hub for the surrounding community and a good place to let animals run, but Manhas says too many dog owners act irresponsibly.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a tough issue. WeB次元官网网址檝e been dealing with it for a long time,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淵ou can see 10, 15, 20 dogs with people out there. A lot of those people live nearby and donB次元官网网址檛 have the luxury of space.B次元官网网址�

In between rounds of tossing a ball down the field for Ginger the great dane, Kossen says that abandoning poop is a well-understood taboo among the tight-knit group of dog owners, who until recently, frequented Ruth King fields on a daily basis. Everybody brings extra baggies.

B次元官网网址淭he group was very conscious about it,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚f someone didnB次元官网网址檛 pick up after their dog, I think theyB次元官网网址檇 be shunned.B次元官网网址�

Kossen agrees that the main culprits soiling Ruth King are a minority of dog owners, but says itB次元官网网址檚 unfair her dog gets punished due to the actions of a few lazy people. B次元官网网址淚 want to keep coming here. ItB次元官网网址檚 a good, safe place for Ginger.B次元官网网址�

Don Brown, Capital Regional DistrictB次元官网网址檚 chief bylaw enforcement officer, who is also an SD 62 school trustee, has agreed to add Ruth King and other district schools to his officersB次元官网网址� regular patrol routes.

Brown said LangfordB次元官网网址檚 bylaw banning dogs on sports fields extends to school district property. He expects the new B次元官网网址渘o dogsB次元官网网址� signs will keep some people away, and that bylaw officers will educate unaware dog owners on the bylaws and regulations.

B次元官网网址淭his happens when you have high density residential with a school in the middle,B次元官网网址� Brown remarked. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 not a lot of green areas around to take animals.B次元官网网址�

Nowhere to run

The animal ban on school property leaves virtually no off-leash options within Langford for dog owners, other than off-summer months at regional parks.

Earlier this year, Langford banned dogs from City sports fields, such as the all-weather turf at City Centre Park, and requires dogs to be on-leash in playgrounds. That ban, arose in part due to dog owners leaving a mess on playing fields, such as the expensive artificial turf.

At the same time, the City is working on creating an off-leash dog park on a 2.6 acre wedge of land near David Cameron elementary and Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Coun. Lanny Seaton, chair of LangfordB次元官网网址檚 parks committee, said the City is waiting for written permission from the Ministry of Transportation before it can set out a budget to clean up the land and install fencing. The timeline for opening the off-leash park isnB次元官网网址檛 set.

B次元官网网址淲e still need to get the land and weB次元官网网址檒l go from there,B次元官网网址� Seaton said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a big area, but itB次元官网网址檚 something to let dogs run off-leash."

editor@goldstreamgazette.com