Off leash dogs at Reservoir Park

Over the past number of years, the Town has been made aware of negative interactions between off leash dogs and other Park users. Over the past months, the number of complaints has increased and we can all agree that safety is the first priority in a public park.

At the June 17 Council meeting, the following motion was passed:

THAT COUNCIL SUPPORT A TIME OF USE RESTRICTION AS A PILOT PROJECT, AS PERMITTED BY THE DOG CONTROL BYLAW, THAT WOULD REQUIRE ALL DOGS IN RESERVOIR PARK TO REMAIN ON LEASH BETWEEN 10AM AND 7PM DAILY, WHERE WE WILL RE-EVALUATE BY JANUARY 2026, WHERE THAT PERIOD WOULD BE USED TO GAIN FEEDBACK ON SEASONAL APPROACH OR ANY OTHER TOPICS THAT MAY ARISE.

You can read the full report, by clicking here.

So what does this mean for the people and dogs that use Reservoir Park?

Effective June 20, in accordance with Section 4 of Wolfville's Dog Control By-Law, dogs must remain on-leash between the hours of 10am and 7pm.

This change is part of a pilot project that will be evaluated with results and recommendations going to Council at Committee of the Whole on January 13, 2026.

Please share how this change impacts you by completing this brief survey.

Background:

Wolfville has a dog control bylaw. This bylaw permits dogs to be off leash in Reservoir Park, but only if the dog is under voice control of their human. If they are not under voice control, they can be considered to be running at large and their human can face a fine between $100 and $1,000.

Under voice control means the dog's human has complete control of the dog's behaviour.

An off leash dog would not be under voice control if they are chasing people or bicycles, jumping on people, knocking over children, biting people or other dogs.

An off leash dog would be under voice control if it comes immediately when called, regardless of distractions, if the dog stays within hearing range, not wandering off, and if the dog responds to basic commands (no, wait, down, etc.).