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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Off-leash dogs frighten city cyclist By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
FANCY DANCING Marlena Anderson dances at the School District 58 Student Powwow, held last Wednesday at Merritt Secondary School. Over 1,500 people attended the third annual event, including students from all the elementary schools in Merritt and John Allison Elementary School in Princeton. Anderson was born and raised in the Nicola Valley. She grew up learning the values and traditions of the Nlaka’pamux culture, and believes it gives her a sense of belonging and has allowed her to be “grounded” in who she is today. A university graduate, Anderson currently works as First Nations Community Affairs Liaison at Teck Highland Valley Copper. She also volunteers with the YMCA Aboriginal Mentorship Program, teaching young girls how to powwow dance and make regalia. Anderson’s advice to students today is: “Stand tall, walk proud, face challenges eagerly, never give up, find calm and go there daily. Believe in yourself, and be prepared to work hard and your dreams will become your reality because this is your world, and anything is possible.” Ian Webster/Herald
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Two incidents with off-leash dogs within city limits have one Merritt woman concerned that pet owners aren’t being careful enough with their dogs. Janet Harper said she was riding her bike on the path in the grasslands above the Bench area on May 8 when a large dog came running up to her while the dog’s family was further away. Harper said as the black lab type dog approached, his demeanour changed from friendly to aggressive. “He raised his hackles and started growling,” she said. “I slowed up while his owner managed to catch him. The owner did catch him and held him so we could pass each other, and said his dog doesn’t like bikes. I was grateful that he managed to physically catch the dog.” Not five minutes later, Harper said she was approached by another off-leash dog, this one a grey Weimaraner, while the dog’s family was some 40 metres away. “The dog saw me and came running up the hill towards me at full speed, ignoring the owner calling to him,” she said. “I got off my bike because I could see this big dog running at me, and I kept it between the dog and me. The dog was right at my bike and he was barking very loudly and aggressively. I didn’t know what the dog was going to do next because it’s a big, scary dog. He was jumping up and down as he was barking at me and I was thinking, ‘What do I do now?’” Harper said she stood still until the dog eventually lost interest. “You can do that [stand still like a tree] but it feels like an eternity and it was very scary, even with the bike between me and the dog,” she said. “I didn’t know if he was going to actually attack me or not. I was scared.”
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And, she said she worries the next person approached by an off-leash dog might not be so lucky. “These family pets are aggressive in a public place,” she said. “There are lots of children up there.” Harper, who spends lots of her leisure time outside biking and hiking, said the incidents have prompted her to carry bear spray in the area to make sure she is protected from animals — wild or otherwise. “I don’t think I have to be threatened while a dog owner watches that happen to me,” she said. “I don’t know if they don’t know if it’s city land or if they don’t care, but it’s a nice place to let your dog off the leash. But this dog scared me, and I’m good with dogs.” City of Merritt Bylaw Officer Bob Davis said it’s not unusual to see people with their dogs off-leash in that area, but it is the first complaint about an offleash dog he has received since taking up the post about two years ago. “My understanding, from talking to the people who are up there, is that it is an issue,” he said. “People think that they’re out of the city because they’re in bunchgrass and yellow pine, and they just let their dogs go. Well, there are so many other people recreating up there — bicyclists, hikers, dirt bikers and kids — so it’s a problem. I’m surprised that it hasn’t arrived on my desk sooner than it has, given the number of people who are using it and the number of dogs offleash.” An owner caught with his or her dog off-leash in city limits could face a $100 fine for the first offence and a $200 fine after that. Davis said there are no public properties within Merritt where it’s legal for owners to let their dogs off of their leashes, except the dog park off of Main Street.
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