After Toronto’s dog owners criticized the city’s decision to ban barking in a dog park as “lunacy,” the city responded by suspending the enforcement of the ban and announcing a review of its sign approval process.
Authorities in Canada’s largest city had to backtrack on their attempt to ban dogs from barking in local parks, following a public backlash.
Residents of Toronto have become accustomed to a daily soundtrack of city life that includes traffic jams, loud trucks, heavy machinery, and noisy neighbors.
However, in recent weeks, visitors to a dog park in the city were surprised to see a sign requesting silence.
The sign read, “Please do not allow your dogs to bark and disturb the neighborhood due to the proximity of nearby residents. Excessive barking will not be accepted.”
The dog owners criticized the sign as “lunacy” and were unsure of what would qualify as “excessive” barking. Lee-Tal Hatuka, one of the owners, told Global News, “We’re in a dog park, so it’s highly likely that there will be some barking or noise. I don’t understand why anyone would think this sign is reasonable.”
The city of Toronto sent two municipal workers to remove the sign on Wednesday afternoon, seemingly agreeing with the dog owners’ criticism. In a statement, the city acknowledged that while the sign was meant to promote peaceful coexistence between the dog park users and nearby residents, it did not effectively communicate the intended message. The city also stated that it would review its sign approval process to ensure that future signs convey their messages clearly.
In a different downtown neighborhood dog park, several signs with a different wording have been left in place. “Please respect the neighbors and discourage your dog from barking,” three of the signs read. According to residents, these signs were installed in the fall.
One dog owner expressed a philosophical attitude towards the ban on Thursday morning. “I understand the reasoning behind it. When there are many dogs in the park, they can become excited and make noise, and we are close to some apartment buildings,” she said. “Moreover, this sign seems more polite.”
As more dogs and their owners arrived at the park, the German shorthaired pointer companion of the dog owner started to bark excitedly.
“Hey,” she said to her dog. “Take a look at the sign.”
