The goals of the Vaughan Dog Owners Group is to:
The Vaughan Dog Owners Group (VDOG) was originally founded in the summer of 2005 when Susan Tam and Darren Murray, neighbours living in Woodbridge, realized that just about every community in the GTA except Vaughan had its own leash-free dog park. Together, they recruited a small group of residents to coordinate efforts convince City Council that an off-leash area was supported by residents.
From coordinating a petition drive across all corners of the City, to making representations at public meetings, the members of VDOG helped to demonstrate both the desire, and the need, for an off-leash dog park in the City.
Get directions to Vaughan's Off-Leash Dog Park in a larger map
In 2007, the City agreed to explore the possibility of establishing an off-leash park and authorized the creation of a working committee to evaluate and recommend potential sites. Along with the creation of the working committee, Council also set aside money in the budget for the creation and maintenance of the park.
The off-leash working committee reported back to Council in 2009 and, ultimately, Council agreed to establish the first off-leash park in Vaughan at Concord Thornhill Regional Park.
Since then, VDOG has faded into obscurity and, effectively, ceased to exist. Until now.
As in most municipalities, the issue of off-leash dog parks is, at the root, a political one. The most effective method for accomplishing our goals is to engage the political leadership. We believe that by developing a membership base and seeking out popular support, we will be able to accomplish our goals.
That being said, our goals transcend the establishment of off-leash dog parks. By bringing together dog owners into a single, cohesive organization, we hope to create a sense of community among dog owners in Vaughan which will necessarily encourage responsible dog ownership. This is good for the City; it's good for the non-dog-owning residents; it's good for dog owners; and it's good for the dogs themselves.
As a relatively new organization, we're not reallly sure where the future lies for us. The form that this organization takes and the role that it plays in the community will be decided by those who become members. What we are certain of, is that there is still a role for an advocacy group for dog owners in Vaughan.
Our privacy policy is, really, quite simple.
Any information that you provide to us is for the sole and exclusive use of the Vaughan Dog Owners Group. Your information will never be sold, given away or otherwise transferred to another party without your consent.
