The City of Toronto has 73 Off-Leash Area's, the largest number of OLA's in Canada! 6 are within Ward 13, Toronto Centre.
Did You Know?
Your dog must be licensed.
- Dogs go missing every day and a licence helps to bring them home.
- The licence must be renewed yearly and the licence tag must be worn.
- Automatically become a BluePaw member and receive exclusive offers and discounts on pet-related products and services.
You can have up to three dogs.
- The maximum numbers of pets that you can own is six cats and three dogs.
- You cannot walk more than three dogs at once anywhere in the city (sidewalks, parks) without a commercial dog walker’s permit.
Stoop and scoop.
- Pick up after your dog on private and public property.
There is a one-hour maximum for tying up your dog at home.
- If you are tying up your dog on your own property, there is a time limit of one hour.
- The tether used to tie your dog must be more than three metres long.
- You cannot use a choke collar, choke chain or pronged collar for your dog at any time. Martingale collars, which are considered a humane choke collar are still permitted.
Be aware of weather conditions.
- Your dog must be protected from the cold and/or heat.
- Leaving your dog in the yard without shade or water in the summer and adequate shelter in the winter is risking your dog’s life.
Respect your neighbours.
- If your dog is continuously barking or whining and disturbing your neighbours, you can be charged under the Noise Bylaw.
Leash and control your dog in public.
- Some people fear dogs – respect their feelings and concerns.
- Your dog must be kept on a leash no more than two metres long.
- You must be holding on to the leash – leashing your dog to a pole or bike rack is not allowed.
You are responsible for your dog if it bites a person or another animal.
Every owner of a dog shall exercise reasonable precautions to prevent their dog from engaging in a dangerous act. A dangerous act is defined as any bite, attack, act of menacing behaviour or any combination of a bite, attack or act of menacing behaviour.
Study in Progress
The City of Toronto is currently conducting a study to find out how the City’s existing Off-Leash Areas (OLAs) can be improved to accommodate an increasing human and dog population.
The objectives of the study are to:
- Improve existing DOLAs through better design, maintenance and operation
- Encourage healthy relationships between dog owners and non-dog owners
- Elevate DOLAs as spaces that provide a healthy, safe, accessible and sustainable environment
- Develop guidelines to ensure consistent maintenance and operation across Toronto
- Develop design recommendations that can be applied to all existing OLAs
- Improve community involvement and develop future ongoing partnerships
