The City of Calgary Bylaw Services is issuing a reminder to all dog owners to make sure that they know all the rules when it comes to walking their pets in public parks and off-leash areas within city limits.

Officials held an informal public information session on Wednesday at Nose Hill Park, one of the largest walking trails in Calgary, a popular area for many dog owners.

Damian Cole, a supervisor with Calgary Bylaw Services, says that they want to see everyone be responsible pet owners.

“That’s the binding message of the responsible pet ownership bylaw. The vast majority of pet owners are extremely responsible and we ask that everybody take that same stance if they are residing within the city limits.”

Cole says that the key for all owners is keeping your animal under control and within your line of sight at all times. If a dog strays, the owner could be at risk of getting a sizable fine.

“[Not picking up after your dog] is a $250 fine, if your dog is not licenced, that’s another $250 fine. Your dog should always be licenced if you reside in the limits of the City of Calgary. Bites are another thing. Bites can range from $250 to $1,500, depending on the severity of the bite.”

Ward 4 councillor Sean Chu has been on the issue of responsible pet ownership for some time and says the city is increasing enforcement in Nose Hill Park by 50 percent.

“The majority of dog and pet owners are very responsible but there are always a few very, very irresponsible dog owners, including dog walkers, ruining it for everybody.”

He says that those owners are allowing their dogs to run wild, chase coyotes and other wildlife and even run into coyote dens.

“In turn, those coyotes are leaving the park and going into the residential area and we don’t want that.”

It’s situations like that, Chu says, that make people want to avoid the off-leash parks that are in actuality multi-use areas open for anyone to use.

“They’re not just for dogs, they’re for people too, bikers and everybody else. We see and hear from people when they see an irresponsible owner with their pets and its costing bikers and walkers. A lot of people are telling me that ‘I don’t want to go there anymore’ so it defeats the purpose.”

Chu says that there is talk about some dog walkers that could be in the park with too many animals. He adds that the city is looking at putting a limit on the number of dogs a person can go around with, but backed off on a firm decision on what he thought was too many.

“Toronto has a limit of six dogs. Maybe six? Maybe less or maybe more? That’s the whole package that the city will look into.”

Despite the city’s plans, many dog owners that CTV Calgary spoke with said there weren’t many issues in regards to irresponsible dog owners at Nose Hill Park.

Darren Anderson has used the area for the past 20 years and says problems are very rare.

“The odd time you’ll see somebody who’s maybe not paying attention to their pet and it gets in the way of other people who are maybe walking down pathway but that happens very, very rarely. We’ve never had a bad interaction personally.”

Another dog owner, Jenna Bowerman, agrees with the city’s idea about limiting the number of dogs a person can walk in off-leash parks

“I have seen a couple dog walkers here that have a lot of dogs and I think that it’s kind of hard for the dogs. Most of the time they are all on leash, but when there’s like 12 of them and one person is walking them, it definitely gets a little out of control sometimes.”

There are 150 off-leash areas in the City of Calgary and officials are planning an overhaul of the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw sometime next year.

(With files from Jordan Kanygin)