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During the COVID pandemic, I adopted a dog, like many others. Post-COVID, doggy and I spend fewer hours together since I go to the office several times per week. Spending time with a canine pal is really important to me, as well as to thousands of other people here in Pointe-Claire. Dogs improve our mental health, keep us active, and doggone it, dogs make this community a happier place to be!

Quebec has some of the most dog-unfriendly rules and regulations in North America. SEPAQ (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec) park rangers and other officials have told me this is because “without rules, Quebec society falls apart.” I’m skeptical about that, but I do appreciate rules that protect humans.

I am a responsible dog owner who is pro-leash rules and pet licenses. I am all for rabies vaccinations and am a super poopy-picker-upper. Owners who break common sense rules designed to keep all residents safe should definitely be fined. But something I cannot abide is a rule that is overly strict and only sporadically enforced. Here are just a few:

1. Dogs must be kept on a leash of less than 1.8 m (6 ft.) at all times.

I have a 20-foot extensible leash that I use on walks, and I’ll tell any “my dog needs to be properly leashed” folks that this allows for sniffing, scampering, and adequate exploration for any dog. That said, if we are approaching a stranger, I make sure to keep my dog two feet at most from my side to avoid disturbing or scaring our fellow citizen.

2. Dogs cannot be inside any place where food is served.

Really? I know of a handful of places – whose numbers are thankfully growing each year – where dogs are allowed: Victor Rose Espresso Bar and Station Café, to name just a couple. I have seen restaurant owners debate this law online in forums.

3. No kennels allowed in Pointe-Claire.

I own a Border Collie, so I am someone with plans and backup plans to keep my dog active all year-round, but that doesn’t work for many smaller, less furry canines. When searching for doggy daycares or places where folks can hang out, grab a coffee or beer, and let their dog play with other dogs inside, I was told that that is considered a kennel and we are not zoned for that. Let me assure you there are tons of these businesses all over the U.S. Now, I understand why my Valois neighbours wouldn’t want me to turn my home into a doggy nightclub for noise reasons. But why would the industrial parks by Highway 40, which house all manner of businesses, be zoned for everything but a doggy play place?

4. Only 2 dogs per handler at the Terra Cotta dog park.

Admittedly, this is a fairly small dog park adjacent to the Terra Cotta sports fields and I have never seen more than 10 dogs inside at one time. However, for some reason, a human is allowed to bring a maximum of two dogs at a time into this dog park. This seems both arbitrary and illogical. Pointe-Claire residents are allowed to own a maximum of three dogs; is one supposed to sit and wait in the car while the other two frolic inside the gates?

Give dogs a chance.

When I hear that dogs are not well-behaved enough to be in stores, well, how would we know that without allowing them into stores where they can learn to behave appropriately? We know this is an invalid argument because dogs are allowed in many stores in Ontario, Newfoundland, every U.S. state, England, France, and so on.

Nine times out of ten when I pass someone on the street while walking my dog they give me a smile, a wave, or they ask to pet Josie. This furry animal is a conversation starter, connecting two strangers who might otherwise not have come together for a few words. Sure, some people don’t like or are afraid of dogs, and as a responsible dog owner, I hop off the sidewalk to give those neighbours the space they deserve.

Let’s give some rights and appreciation to our furry friends. I guarantee you that I am a kinder, happier person because of my dog. Let me share some of that doggy joy with you as well. Why must we impose restrictions on all dogs as if they were all aggressive nuisance animals? There’s got to be a will and a way to let dogs participate in more aspects of our public spaces and our community.