Off-Leash Dog Tickets Drop 41% in Canmore

Warnings and tickets for off-leash dogs are both down in Canmore this year, despite an increase in focused patrols targeting the bylaw violation.

Warnings for off-leash dogs dropped 11 per cent, from 45 to 40, and tickets went down by 41 per cent, from 29 to 17, according to data from the Town of Canmore for the periods of Jan. 1 to Aug. 14 in 2025 and 2026.

Education is a major part of discouraging off-leash dogs in town, as conflicts with wild animals and people are among the biggest concerns.

Greg Burt, supervisor of municipal enforcement for the Town of Canmore, said education can take several forms.

"It can come in a sign... it can come in the form of an officer issuing a warning and/or a ticket,” said Burt. "I'd like to think that an officer's presence in the community helps seek compliance, but I also like to think that the fine amounts... are not inconsequential. Knowing that a first offense is $250 and $500 and $1,000 for a second and third offense can have a pretty good financial deterrent for that.”

Getting more officers visible in the community has been part of the drive to curb off-leash dogs. There have been over 40 focused patrols so far this year, which, according to Nicky Pacas, communications advisor for the Town of Canmore, is a 29 percent increase over last year at this time.

“We set monthly enforcement focuses for the department, both for bylaw and traffic enforcement,” said Burt. “That could mean focusing on parks and pathway patrols or dogs off-leash, with officers conducting a certain number of patrols per week in various locations, with a focus on education and enforcement.”

According to Burt, these patrols are chosen based on what officers are hearing from the community, either in person or through calls to the town, as well as by informally watching for problem areas mentioned on social media.

Most of the time, if a dog is found off-leash, with or without its owner, it results in a warning unless other factors are involved. That decision is up to the officer.

"If it's the first time, and if there are no other contributing factors... we would return it back home to them for free, so we wouldn't charge an impound or kennelling fee, but we would issue a verbal warning or a written warning,” said Burt.

Going back to at least 2024, warnings have outweighed tickets, with 102 warnings to 62 tickets in 2024 and 107 warnings to 63 tickets in 2025, according to the town’s 2025 Municipal Enforcement report.

Burt points to many factors that have helped the decline in off-leash dog incidents. Only one second-offense ticket has been given out so far this year, and a single second-offense ticket was given out in all of 2025.

Keep Wildlife Alive is an initiative involving multiple levels of government and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley. The program works to educate people and reduce human-wildlife conflict, including encouraging people to keep dogs on leash. The town’s involvement with the program is part of the renewed push for leash compliance.

The initiative is behind many of the new signs in town that aim to create a standardized message about reducing conflicts with wildlife throughout the community, according to Burt.

There is also a separate, stricter fine structure for dogs that harass wildlife. Fines start at $750 for a first offence, increasing to $1,500 for a second and $2,500 for a third, according to Canmore's website.

Off-leash dogs and human-wildlife conflict were brought to the forefront earlier this summer when a viral video showed bear No. 142 seemingly following an off-leash dog and two hikers on a trail in Banff National Park. The hikers have since been charged and could face a fine of up to $25,000.

The stretch between Quarry Lake's two unfenced off-leash areas has emerged as a particular focus for enforcement, according to Burt. When asked where infractions are most common, he pointed to the area between the two designated zones.

Dogs are required to be leashed anywhere outside a designated off-leash area, Burt said, a rule he described as being about more than compliance for its own sake.

"It's a requirement, it's a law that you're required to leash your dog, unless you're on private property, or you're at an off-leash area, and really that's about the safety of everyone in the community," he said. "It's for the safety of your dog. It's for the safety of your friends, your neighbours, your visitors [and] wildlife."