It is likely not a surprise to locals that most of our respondents felt Squamish has an issue with unleashed dogs.
The Squamish Chief polled 280 readers and asked the question: Do you think Squamish has an issue with unleashed dogs?
Control of dogs while in public places and on trails has long been a topic of discussion in town.
Unleashed dogs on trails where they are required to be on leash became a hot topic again recently after a woman walking a dog was attacked by a black bear earlier this month.
Reports are that the dog she was walking ran off-trail "into thick brush" on a Squamish Estuary trail just before the sow bit her.
Dogs are required to be leashed and under control of their owners at all times in all areas of the Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area.
Wildlife experts warn that dogs should always be on leash anywhere within bear country.
"In a review of black bear attacks, dogs were involved in over 50% of black bear inflicted injuries on humans. Dogs may be perceived as a potential threat or prey. Use extra caution in bear habitat and where sightlines are poor," reads the WildSafeBC site.
Locals are encouraged to report bear conflicts to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline, at 1-877-952-7277.
The poll ran from 5/14/2024 to 5/23/2024. Of the 280 votes, we can determine that 120 are from within the community. The full results are as follows:
Results are based on an online study of adult Squamish Chief readers that are located in Squamish. The margin of error - which measures sample variability - is +/- 5.81%, 19 times out of 20.
The Squamish Chief uses a variety of techniques to capture data, detect and prevent fraudulent votes, detect and prevent robots, and filter out non-local and duplicate votes.
