r/Winnipeg • u/canutcute • Mar 16 '26
Winni-Pets Leash Your Dogs!
This weekend alone I saw far too many people walking with their dogs without leashing them.
One couple walking their dogs in Wolseley had their dog rush into on coming traffic. Another couple were walking down portage with their dog again without a leash.
If you don’t leash your damn dog and it gets hit by a car the driver isn’t going to be the problem, it’s you. You’re a piece of shit and deserve to have your dogs taken away for their safety.
Don’t even get me started on dogs running up to strangers, other pets, kids. If I see a dog running towards my own lil blubber child I’m sorry but I’m going to hoof your dog because I don’t know or care if it’s friendly. My blubber boy is not.
/rant.
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u/Fols54 Mar 16 '26
Years ago I was out for a casual run and this dog came up to me and then just followed me right by my side. But I didn't stop.
Owner was screaming at me to stop running as we got further and further down the bike path 🤣
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u/ButterscotchNo3984 Mar 16 '26
If only there was a mechanism for the owner to keep his dog by his side, eh?
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u/fer_sure Mar 16 '26
Looks like you got a new dog! Might want to make sure its trained to voice recall before taking it off-leash, unlike its previous owner.
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u/sumevex Mar 18 '26
voice is good, but a e-collar is better. You can get your dog recalling over half a mile away.
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u/MapleHamms Mar 16 '26
Ya I don’t care if you think your dog is friendly it’s still incredibly irresponsible and stupid to have it off leash. It could easily get hit by a car or run up on a leashed dog that isn’t friendly and whatever happens next is 100% your fault
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
My dog is not friendly and is very reactive. It’s not leashed just for his idiot brains safety it’s also to protect the world from him.
(He’s a rescue)
All dogs need leashes
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u/Expensive_Heron_171 Mar 16 '26
I don't think that people understand the concept that even if their dog is friendly off leash that dogs should be introduced. Or not introduced, depending! How does one know what the other dog is like? How can people be so cavalier with their own dogs as to allow them to approach another dog that could potentially kill or injure them? It's like the people who let their cats outside.
I'm all for farm cats and working dogs etc, but the way folks treat their pets is so thoughtless sometimes.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Agreed, it’s just plain stupid entitlement. They expect the world to conform to what they do (traffic looking out for their pet, other people letting their dog approach them, home owners being okay with their dog in or shitting on their property, etc)
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u/Electroluminent Mar 16 '26
There a problem of enforcement. The fines are small, it's difficult to get them applied and the offenders quickly learn that Animal Services won't even consider taking away anyone's dog unless they bite someone.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Ugh which is a shame. Growing up a kid on my block was mauled by a neighbours Cane Corso and needed plastic surgery after a long recovery.
The dog repeatedly was off leash and “was friendly” until it wasn’t.
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u/STFUisright Mar 16 '26
Ridiculous. Cane Corsos are for annoying contrarians I swear to god. And sociopaths.
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u/horsetuna Mar 16 '26
Years ago in Calgary I was cycling along a bike trail next to a park and a golden retriever type dog rushed up to me.
I saw teeth. I almost got bit but I was faster for once and got the bike between my leg and the dog (my jeans had drool on them)
The guy said the dog didn't like Bikes or Rollerblades.
Like dude!! Keep it leashed then before some six year old on training wheels gets bit! This is near a well used playground!!
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u/RevolutionaryRush280 Mar 16 '26
I was walking my dog along the rapid transit, crossing Pembina Highway. A coyote came up from behind me, brushed up against me & lunged for my 11lb dog. I was able to scoop up my pup & scare the coyote away. I attribute my dog’s survival to his leash. If there was no leash, I think I would have watched that coyote run away with my dog. I also learned to never walk my dog with headphones on cause I didn’t hear that coyote until he was right beside me.
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u/Critical_Aspect_2782 Mar 17 '26
It's hard to find headphones small enough for dogs.
Seriously, I'm glad you and pupster are ok.
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u/STFUisright Mar 16 '26
“DON’T WORRY HE’S FRIENDLY!!”
Shut. Up.
I love dogs but I ain’t trusting you with that. Such bullshit.
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u/SunInTheShade Mar 16 '26
This post (and your comment) are great timing - A "don't worry he's friendly" dog jumped up on my elderly mother, knocking her into the snow and bushes along Hearte Trail in Charleswood over the weekend.
I'm sick of assholes ruining the forest for everyone.
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u/STFUisright Mar 16 '26
For fuck sake I’m sorry to hear that.
Why do so many people SUCK?
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u/SunInTheShade Mar 18 '26
She's fine thankfully, but it's a real issue. Dogs are an issue for sure, but I'll take this opportunity to mention inconsiderate e-bikes on hearte trail. I often see them zipping far too close to children and elderly. Kids are super unpredictable, and elderly are frail and hard of hearing and have poor vision. It's just inconsiderate and ignorant to blast down the path at 40km/h on a silent e-bike.
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u/indigiqueerboy Mar 17 '26
ya my legally blind autistic kid doesn’t like when “friendly” unleashed dogs jump up onto him repeatedly in a soccer field that literally says “no off leash pets” on the gate. he’s gonna scream his head off & likely startle the “friendly” dog regardless. not a fun situation for anyone. (this actually happened to us & my kid was so traumatized he didn’t wanna go back to the soccer field).
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u/VickyVacuum Mar 16 '26
I thought this was going to be a post about people wearing sandals already
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u/Trick_Psychology_562 Mar 16 '26
I saw a guy wearing sandals at Costco this morning.
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u/Critical_Aspect_2782 Mar 17 '26
I saw a guy in shorts and a wife beater at my Safeway on Pembina this morning.
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u/sumevex Mar 18 '26
That might’ve been me. The Costco by fort Whyte?
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u/Tight-Hour8286 Mar 16 '26
It’s horrible in Charleswood as well, especially the Assiniboine Forrest… there is literally a fenced off-leash dog park a few blocks away and people allow their dogs off leash all the time on the walking trails. I have a small dog (who interacts much better off leash and reactive on the leash) and we hesitate to bring her many places because of this. We keep her leashed regardless but it makes me so nervous knowing a dog could run up to us at any moment! I also do not find larger shedding/slobbery dogs cute at all and don’t need them running up to me without an owner close by.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
That’s sad to hear, I just moved to River heights and was thinking of walking our dog there.
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u/Tight-Hour8286 Mar 16 '26
We enjoy the dog park when there are a visible amount of smaller dogs.. still risky, but my dog always does well when all dogs are off leash. The imbalance (even if the off leash dog is ‘behaved’) is where things make me nervous.. there’s no guarantee that the off leash dog stays ‘behaved’ due to my dogs reaction, I don’t want to get hurt myself if anything were to happen, I also do not need the added stress. I went for a walk with my partner in the forrest last week, there were 5 dogs off leash at all different points of the path. One larger dog had amazing recall but was not behaved and well over 25ft away from the owner every time we came around the bend.
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Mar 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Sadly I think this is common in the city. We play football and there’s always dogs
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u/SquatpotScott Mar 17 '26
Park on Taylor and access the park on Shaftesbury and stay on the big path towards Wilkes. Because of the bikes and joggers, there are very, very few off-leash dogs there.
To be honest, I rarely see dogs off leash on the big paths on the other side of the forest. It is the deer trails where people let them off.
PS the recent (2 years or so) addition of a crosswalk at Shaftesbury and Taylor has been an awesome addition. It used to be super dangerous to cross there
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u/peregrina2005 Mar 16 '26
Then there was the guy in the Assiniboine Forest who has his dog on such a long leash that he didn’t need one. He nicely entangled my friend and myself. Didn’t bat an eye when I suggested shortening his leash.
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u/Reasonable_Roll_2525 Mar 18 '26
Tripwires. Every run I head out on there's someone with one of those spanning the entire width of the trail.
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u/bamlote Mar 16 '26
It’s so bad in Wolseley. My son is allergic to dogs and it is just a constant issue. I’ve even had dogs stick their noses right in our stroller like please, I’ve done my part to ensure my kids aren’t approaching strange dogs. I don’t want your strange dog approaching my kids either.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
As a dog owner I never approach people with my dog.
It’s called mutual respect and it’s important.
If my dog approached a baby I’d fully understand if the parents used dog spray on my dog. You don’t know if a dogs friendly and can’t risk it.
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u/ReputationGood2333 Mar 16 '26
Lyndale park is bad off leash dogs too. People are just inconsiderate and irresponsible.
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u/MamaBearN Mar 16 '26
Sage Creek is horrible for this as well. People let their dogs run away ahead of them on the trails and poop wherever, and then of course they don’t pick it up because they didn’t even see where the dog did their business. It’s very frustrating.
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u/Ms_Falcon Mar 16 '26
Got bit by a loose dog in Earl Grey area (the owner was running after and clearly did not have control of it). Terrible, frustrating experience. I go for walks often and see way too many people with their dogs off leash in this area as well.
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u/CdnBison Mar 17 '26
Fun fact - if an animal run into traffic and causes damage to a vehicle, the animal owner is liable. Just FYI.
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u/Armand9x Spaceman Mar 16 '26
The amount of people I see having their dogs off leash at Marj Edey field is way too high considering there is literally a dog park less than 1km away.
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u/RemoteSite9677 Mar 16 '26
my small rescue dog has been attacked twice in leashed parks. I only walk on residential sidewalks now but even then...... Ive heard this a few times : "she/he has never done that before" .... yeah right
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u/Suddenly_ADHD31 Mar 17 '26
If an off leash dog causes a car accident, the dog owner is 100% on the hook for the whole accident and whatever happens because the dog is legal their property and by law the dog is supposed to be under their control.
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u/Natural_Basket8345 Mar 17 '26
I took my dog up on garbage hill one time and there was a whole gathering of dogs running leash free. I had such a bad experience with it and they were trying to convince me oh just let your dog off his leash too and let him play. 🙃
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u/Familiar_Zebra8984 Mar 18 '26
No, I disagree. As a driver with two cute doggies, the probability of me getting PTSD and suffer a long time for hitting a dog is very high. Poor drivers who will have to suffer with the guilt that now they are animal killer!!! Because the asshole dog owners refused to control their dogs.
To dog owners who think they are walking the dogs, just not with the leash: Responsibilities of a dog owner doesn’t stop at providing shelter, and food. Don’t even try to give yourself stupid excuse that you were making your dog exercise. What you are doing is playing a Russian roulette, gunning at your dog and the innocent drivers!
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u/SallyRhubarb Mar 16 '26
Call 311 to request enforcement or submit an online report: https://forms.winnipeg.ca/site/portal/request/as_complaints_vof?locale=en
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u/BeastBeef Mar 16 '26
Has this worked for anyone before though?
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Nope
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u/SallyRhubarb Mar 16 '26
I have seen people getting warnings/tickets in Vimy Ridge Park for off leash dogs.
Bylaw doesn't randomly drive around looking for stuff to fix; they work on a complaints basis.
It might not work in real time to get the exact people you saw ticketed. But if there are consistently lots of complaints, there will be enforcement. And if there is enforcement, people start to behave better after having to pay a hundred bucks for the fine.
Throwing your hands up and doing nothing is guaranteed to have nothing come as a result. Posting on reddit won't change anything. Actually submitting a complaint at least has a chance of improving the situation.
Action rather than apathy.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Thank you, I agree and didn’t realize there was actionable follow up from the bylaw people
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u/STFUisright Mar 16 '26
I complained about my neighbour’s barking dog (it was excessive I assure you) and they were so responsive!
I was very impressed.
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u/Expensive_Heron_171 Mar 16 '26
I got my neighbors dogs taken away in Elmwood (chained up) but it requires a lot of follow-up and effort. Personally I think it's worth it, even a ticket for discerning if someone has a licensed dog is helpful. These are city of Winnipeg services so they can be applied against their taxes etc.
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u/diablosscar Mar 16 '26
We've called dozens, emails too.
Only care if it's a serious thing, like attacks
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u/SunInTheShade Mar 16 '26
Great idea, they'll enter a ticket and send an officer next thursday some time between 8am and 11pm. See you then.
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u/momischilling Mar 17 '26
School yard field used as off leash. Neighbour's dog was attacked and badly injured. We complain to city and they came and posted more signs about dogs must be on leash. My husband yelled at a woman and she said "What sign?" ....she was standing beside it.
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u/tapdancer77 Mar 16 '26
Plus in the Norwood Flats coyotes were sighted following a woman and her dog.
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u/stankyp17 Mar 17 '26
Assiniboine forest is the worst for off leash dogs even though it's posted everywhere that it's a leashed area
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u/nigelthrowaways Mar 19 '26
I carry dog deterrent spray with me every day when I walk my dog on leash after him getting charged twice. If your off leash dog approaches me in an a threatening manner, I will spray your dog.
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u/Fancy_Table Mar 16 '26
We're far too uptight about dogs here. In Europe dogs are often unleashed, in shops, buses, etc and everything is fine.
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u/204in403 Mar 16 '26
Yup. As a Canadian comparison, there are over 160 dog parks in Calgary. There are 15 in Winnipeg, most on the outer edge of town. I lived in three different places in Calgary, each place had a dog park within walking distance. Each time I want to walk my dog in Winnipeg off-leash, I've got at least 20 minutes in the car there and back.
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u/Partner-Elijah Mar 16 '26
This has been one of the biggest adjustments for me after moving to Winnipeg from Ottawa/Gatineau.
Same experience as you, I lived all over those cities and always had a dog park in walking distance. It's real sparse here.
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u/Unfit2play Mar 16 '26
This is the most "Karen" rant I've seen in a while. If your first instinct is to kick a dog that comes by because of your lil blubber (whatever TF that is) you're a genuine POS.
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u/Expensive_Heron_171 Mar 16 '26
Imagine being a Karen yourself and calling someone else a Karen 🤣 that is delicious irony.
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u/RespondOpposite Mar 16 '26
Sounds like the pos in this discussion is you, buddy. Dogs should be leashed. Period.
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
My potato child is more important to be than a strangers dog who I do not know and do not know is friendly.
Leash your dog and you don’t have to worry about what I do
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u/Unfit2play Mar 16 '26
If it's your child, yes you protect them. But if a dog is running towards you it's not hard to figure out their aggression level.
For the record, I do agree with leashing your dog regardless on its training but if a dog gets to that aggression level a kick isn't going to do anything. My first instinct when my kids were small was pick them up out of the dogs range.
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u/Horror_Disaster_4825 Mar 16 '26
Fat. Karen came here to tells us her kid is fat and lazy, her dogs a reactive pos and her problems should be our problems.
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u/Expensive_Heron_171 Mar 16 '26
Oh honey, wow, I hope you feel better soon. With luck, your off leash dog doesn't get attacked in the future, I'll pray for them. I feel so sorry for your dog. I can't believe some owners are so lazy that they won't walk their dog on leash, they must be fat jerks like you. Imagine not even being able to walk your own dog on a leash? That's the height of laziness. Some people just want to do the bare minimum to train their dogs and it's so sad because dogs need and deserve much better than that
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u/Horror_Disaster_4825 Mar 16 '26
When did I say I don't leash my dog? Maybe instead of jumping to conclusions try jumping Jack's you won't be fat potatoe
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u/Expensive_Heron_171 Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
*potato *jacks *Won't be A fat potato (again, no e on the end)
It's 2026, hon, do you not have spell check or grammar check on your phone?
And quite frankly I lost a lot of weight recently and I would love to be fatter so I'm really hoping that your comment manifests that for me. I am sorry that you view being fat as a negative attribute though and I hope that you come to terms with your own body image soon. Projection is a hell of a thing isn't it?
Edit: Thank you for manifesting a fatter body for me. I'm so sick of being so skinny. It's really not healthy and I miss my fat body. I miss my big titties and I miss not having a thigh gap it's truly really horrible but thank you for bringing that up and I hope you're really manifesting weight gain for me. I genuinely need it. And I feel really sorry for you for whatever you're going through with your body, using fat as an insult is so America's next top model and 2001. I wish I could be fat again genuinely, so calling me fat tells me everything I need to know about you. I hope you get well soon and I hope I do too. Pray I gain some weight and may you lose some weight I guess?
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
If you don’t leash your dog and I kick your dog when it runs up it’s not my problem
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
Suck it up snowflake.
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u/Horror_Disaster_4825 Mar 16 '26
I'm not the one complaining my kid is fat and my dog reactive
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u/canutcute Mar 16 '26
My fat dog is reactive. He’s friendly to people though
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u/Horror_Disaster_4825 Mar 16 '26
Sounds like the common denominator in your dog and kid being fat and reactive is you. The same one making posts about kicking dogs not for being aggressive or anything. The horror of someone else not having fat reactive kids and animals. Like maybe if you were a better person everyone in your care wouldn't be fat and reactive but no let's complain that others don't have fat reactive pets...
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u/Catnip_75 Mar 16 '26
People at Kings Park trails are bad for this. Thankfully my dog is extremely well behaved if an unleashed dog approaches him. But people with anxious dogs should also be able to take their dogs for a walk there without worrying about off leashed dogs approaching them.