No dog ban on trails, but council to keep eye on issue

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Dogs won’t be banned from Campbellton walking trails for now, as councillors decided more signs to remind owners to keep their pets leashed will do the trick for the time being.

But they agreed to revisit the issue if more complaints of loose and out-of-control dogs come into city hall.

The issue was back on the table Monday, two months after Heron Bay councillors heard a report of a woman bitten by a leashed dog while walking a public trail after the owner of the dog was unable to hold it back.

It was the most recent incident on a public trail in which a dog has attacked someone, leashed and unleashed.

In October, discussion raised the possibility of banning dogs on the trails altogether.

On Monday, council discussed a letter it had received from a resident asking for the city to consider ways of reducing similar instances of dog altercations.

Campbellton CAO Manon Cloutier told council that sections of the NB Trail system that run through a municipality were returned to the municipality a couple of years ago. Parts of the trail run through all sections of the city.

“I definitely feel bad for this lady who was bitten but I’m not sure we can ban dogs from the trails at this point,” said Coun. Maurice Comeau. “A lot of people use the trail to walk dogs, myself included. But it’s up to those people to make sure their pets are controlled. If they have a dog they can’t control they have no business taking it on trails used by people out for some exercise.”

Coun. Gaëtan Cormier said there are signs in the Atholville section of the city that are posted in numerous spots on the NB Trail indicating dogs must be on a leash and suggested council install more to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Mayor Jean-Guy Levesque agreed.

“We certainly need to sensitize people to the issue,” he said. “We need to make the public more aware of the rules of having dogs on leashes.”

It was decided the city would arrange to put more signs along different sections of the trail indicating the use of leashes is mandatory and to further discuss the issue if other reports of dogs biting people are received.