The forested trails of the Comox Valley offer various opportunities for exercising pets.
Keeping dogs under control is required at all times in all CVRD parks and in some CVRD parks leashing of dogs is mandatory.
In CVRD parks where leashing is not mandatory but where dogs are still required to be under control, having your dog within sight and on the trail helps ensure a pleasant park experience for all visitors, gives wildlife the space they need and keeps pets out of sensitive park environments. Even small dogs can cause others to trip, chase wildlife or initiate conflict with other dogs when allowed to run without supervision.
In regional district parks keeping dogs under control means:
- Dogs must remain on the travelled surface or trail and within 10 m (30 feet) of the person who has care and control of it
- Dogs must be responsive and immediately return when called
- Dogs must not be molesting, harassing or attacking any person, animal or wildlife
- Dogs must be licenced
Thank you for keeping pets under control and ensuring there are no unhappy incidents with wildlife, livestock, other park visitors and pets as well as with nearby residences. Dogs not under control in parks and on trails may be subject to tickets and fines under CVRD bylaws (Bylaw 679).
Enforcement is by regular patrols by CVRD staff, security, park stewards and animal control officers. Patrols are more frequent during nesting and fawn season.
CVRD Bylaw 679 outlines all the fines relating to Electoral Area Parks regulations. Fines include but not limited to:
- Allowing any animal to run at large in a park: $100
- Failing to keep a dog under control in a park: $100
- Failing to restrain a dog on a leash in a park: $100
Dogs who are found attacking or pursuing a person, domestic animal or livestock may also be subject to the provincial Livestock Protection Act.
Leashing-Mandatory Parks
- Little River
- Barbara Road
- Lazo Wildlife
- Masters Wildlife
- One Spot
- qax mot Conservation Area
- Royston Seaside Trail
- Bear Creek - hatchery trails (Leashing required August 1 until December 31 due to salmon spawning)
- Goose Spit (Leashing required March 1 until May 20 due to Brant geese migration)
- Seal Bay
- April, May and June: Leashing required ALL TRAILS due to nesting and fawn season
- Year round leash requirement: east side (water side) of Bates Rd as well as Creek and Melda's Marsh trails (gray area on trail map)
In other CVRD community parks dogs must still remain under control but leashing is not mandatory. We appreciate the efforts of responsible park and trail users within our region to keep dogs under control at all times.
Leashing is required in all City of Courtenay parks. Leashing is also required in all Town of Comox parks. The Town does however offer an 1ha (2.4 acre) off-leash area at the former Comox Elementary School (Rodello Street and Fairbairn Avenue). The Village of Cumberland offers a fenced off-leash dog park within Village Park at the foot of Sixth Street. Dogs are not permitted elsewhere in Village Park to keep play areas clean and safe. Dogs are to be leashed in all other Cumberland parks.
If you have an animal control complaint, please call 250-218-2365 or email.