A dog that was banned from Langley City’s Uplands dog off-leash park for his bark has been allowed back into the park to play, under some conditions.
On Nov. 22, Cameron – a Shetland sheepdog – and his owner John Levesque were handed a letter from the City that imposed a six-month ban from the park.
The letter read “Your dog Cameron’s excessive barking and your inability to keep it under voice command while in the park has led to this ban.”
READ MORE: Dog banned from B.C. dog park for ‘excessive’ barking, running
But with support from his dog park friends and negotiations with the City, Levesque and Cameron got the ban lifted on Friday, Dec. 7.
“It’s fantastic,” said Levesque.
When he leaves the house now, Cameron sits in the front seat, and gets excited as soon as he spots Uplands dog park,” Levesque explained.
“All the dogs know him, so they come over. It’s great. It’s great for both of us. My anxiety levels have gone down,” added Levesque.
Upon returning to the park, Levesque and Cameron must follow a few rules imposed by the City, including keeping Cameron away from the east fence line of the park along 206 St. where Cameron used to chase cars. Levesque must also keep Cameron under control at all times.
The City “never truly wants to ban someone from a park or a facility,” said Langley City director of engineering Rick Bomhof.
“The people in the area do understand they live beside a dog park, and they can expect barking dogs. The people in the park have rights, and the people outside the park have rights. It’s a matter of balancing those out and living next to each other in a reasonable way,” Bomhof added.
If the conditions that the City and Levesque agreed upon are not adhered to, another six-month ban will be imposed.
