All Diana Boychuk wants to do is take her little dog for its daily walk on the Pitt Meadows dikes and enjoy the fresh air and exercise without being attacked.
Boychuk regularly walks the dikes along the Fraser River, near Bonson Landing in south Pitt Meadows. Often the walk often ends with her holding her dog in her arms to keep it safe from another that is off leash.
People are just ignoring the fact that the trails on the south side of Lougheed Highway are leash only, she said.
Many people allow their dogs to run loose, where they can approach and scare passerbys.
“People are breaking the law,” she said.
“I’ve been attacked and they treat it like a joke.”
To make matters worse, she added, there’s no enforcement.
And neither are there any garbage cans so walkers can dispose of dog waste. Instead, the bags are just tossed on to the trail side.
Boychuk knows about dogs. She’s a retired letter carrier who’s been bitten three times. She carries dog spray, but sometimes that just makes the animals angrier.
Animals are unpredictable, she said. She’s tired of hearing people say their dogs are friendly.
“It’s just not set up for people to have their dogs off leash,” she said of the dike.