News

The Winnipeg Network of Dog Owner Groups has just released the results of its “I own a dog AND I vote!” poll of candidates. The off-leash area advocacy coalition’s survey was conducted between September 15 and 30.

WINDOG President, Donna Henry says the coalition awarded “super dog-friendly” status to four incumbents for their outstanding commitment to Winnipeg’s off-leash areas. They are Mayor Brian Bowman, North Kildonan Councillor Jeff Browaty, St. Vital Councillor Brian Mayes, Waverly West Councillor Janice Lukes, and former St. Charles Councillor, Grant Nordman.

And twenty-four more have earned ‘dog-friendly’ status, each pledging to improve the city’s limited and underfunded off-leash green space.

Dog-friendly candidates will support a Council motion to secure dedicated funding in the City’s capital budget to create new dog parks and upgrade existing ones. ‘Dog-friendlies’ also support designating off-leash areas as ‘single-use’ spaces where only activities associated with off-leash dogs are permitted. At the back of the pack, five ‘dog-unfriendlies’ are in the dog house.

Henry says there’s much greater awareness and support for off-leash dog parks than there was in the 2014 civic election campaign. She credits extensive public consultation during the development of Winnipeg’s new Off-leash Dog Park Master Plan over the past year for the change in attitudes but says the city still has a long way to go. When it comes to setting aside recreational green space for off-leash dog parks, Winnipeg lags behind every major city in Canada.

Want to know who the ‘dog-friendlies’ in your ward are or which mayoral candidates will offer the best support to dog parks? Candidate’s responses, their platform and bios are posted on WINDOG’s website – windog.ca. To check them out, clicking on Election 2018 and follow the links.

Forty percent of Winnipeg households have at least one dog.

Don’t for get to check out WINDOG’s election map – http://windog.ca/2018-map

Interested in finding out how candidates rate regarding dog friendliness in your ward for the 2018 civic election?

Check out this colour coded 2018 Interactive Ward Map at windog.ca/2018-map

We are seeking vendors interested in setting up a table at our Annual Fall BBQ, Saturday September 29^th. 

Participation is free of charge but we are requesting a donation to our prize raffle.  

For more information contact info@maplegrovedogpark.ca

Come join us for an afternoon of dog park fun!

“Winnipeg Network of Dog Owner Groups” (WINDOG) recently appeared in delegation at a City of Winnipeg Council meeting regarding the Off Leash Area Master Plan (OLAMP).  A detailed summary can be found on the WINDOG site.   Please read the article for information about the benefit WINDOG provides to all dog park users in Winnipeg.

You can also watch the video below of the Winnipeg City Council discussing OLAMP. This video is setup to start at the beginning of the conversation and runs for approximately 5 minutes.

The annual Super-Spike event is going to be taking place at Maple Grove Park in 2 weeks on July 20th and 21st. This event is Western Canada’s largest outdoor volleyball tournament, ultimate tournament, and two-day concert series, and every dollar raised supports local charities. If you are planning to be at the dog park it will be extremely busy these two days.

Here’s a more specific schedule (subject to change so you may want to check the Super-Spike site itself):

Volleyball/Ultimate Tournament:

• Friday, July 20 – 6:00pm to 9:30pm
• Saturday, July 21 – 11:00am to 9:00pm

Outdoor Concerts:

• Friday, July 20 – 7:00pm to 1:00am
• Saturday, July 21 – 2:00pm to 2:00am

We are excited to announce that our fence project has been completed and installed at the park. Thanks to everyone who contributed by becoming a member or donation, we appreciate all your support.

We just wanted to say Thank You to everyone who came out for our first annual Dog Day in May event! What an amazing day; fun was had by all – large or small.

The winner of our raffle prizes are:

1. Sweet Retreat bakery, Tim Horton gift card coffee mug, volleyball jersey etc. Winner: Ryann Bannerman, ticket #108829.
2. Perfectly Raw frozen dog Food, from Thrive Pet Food Market. Winner: Genevieve Sahulka, ticket #108841
3. Happy Tails Pet Resort and Spa Package. Winner: Tara Perchaluk, ticket #108762
4. Custom slip lead from Manitoba Animal Actors & Bark Box of Super Chewers. Winner: Cindy Pelletier & her dog Yuki. Ticket #108848.
5. Gift Basket by Global Pets. Winner: Stacey Soldier. Ticket #108846.

As many Maple Grove Dog Park dog park users know, the City of Winnipeg has just released a draft of its log-awaited Off-Leash Areas Master Plan (OLAMP) along with a feedback survey (deadline of May 20th).

Once approved by Winnipeg City Council, the plan will set the direction for the management of existing off-leash areas and the creation of new ones.

The plan has one serious flaw. We are asking Maple Grove dog owners to act now to ensure that the final plan is one that is designed to better protect our dogs, enhance the experience of exercising and socializing them, while at the same time reducing the risk to ourselves of legal liability. 

The Issue:
Off-leash dog parks are the only public spaces where dogs can legally be off-leash to exercise and socialize with other dogs and people.

Working independently and through the Winnipeg Network of Dog Owner Groups (WINDOG), of which MGPDOA is a founding member, your Board of Directors has long advocated for “single-use” dog parks where only those activities associated with off-leash dogs are permitted.

Through WINDOG, your Board has repeatedly asked the City to approve a plan that will ensure dog parks are single-use parks, just as municipal golf courses, soccer and baseball fields, skateboard parks, and children’s pools and splash pads are all designated for specific user groups. Dogs and their families need their own designated recreational spaces.

During the public consultation process, your Board along with many individual dog owners from all over Winnipeg asked that off-leash areas be designated “single-use”. City officials and project consultants were resistant to the concept and, while the draft OLAMP acknowledges the requests, all dog parks except the very smallest neighbourhood dog parks are designated as “multi-use”.

This designation favours all other stakeholder groups who already have access to an abundance of parkland and greenspace – 10,000 acres in total – all of which is either designated as “on-leash” or where dogs are not permitted under any circumstances. 200 acres in total is set aside for off-leash dogs. We need to balance this by ensuring there are areas where dogs can run free and only “off-leash” activities are permitted.

Unfortunately, the OLAMP clarifies that running, mountain biking, and other incompatible activities will be permitted inside larger neighbourhood, community and regional parks like Maple Grove.

The Liability:
Winnipeg’s Responsible Pet Ownership By-law states that a dog owner “must ensure that the dog does not pursue any individual or animal. The OLAMP recommends that the by-law be amended to clarify that dog owners who enter a dog park are responsible for their dog(s) actions at all times. That means if your dog were to chase a runner or cyclist, even if the person were not injured, you would be at fault and could be fined $200.

It’s not too late to change the draft OLAMP. The City is asking for our feedback. The final version will be approved by City Council in July.

Please show your support for Maple Grove’s position that off-leash dog parks be designated “single-use” by completing the City’s online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OLAMP. The last question asks whether you support single-use dog parks.

The deadline for responding to the survey is May 20.