Spanish Banks Off Leash Dog Area — Attraction in Electoral Area A

If you care about your pets life don’t go to this park! My dog was brutally attacked (nearly killed) and the city of Vancouver won’t do anything about it due to jurisdiction issues? I worry that these owners and their dogs have attacked others before. On Saturday August 23 my boyfriend and I packed a picnic and headed to Spanish Banks dog off leash park to soak in the beautiful August weather while the tides were out. Benji, my 5.5 year old miniature Australian shepherd was playing with his toy about 10 meters away from us. Two dogs arrived together with a male and female owner; one dog off-leash, the other on leash. The couple placed their belongings far enough away and behind us, to the side, that we wouldn’t have noticed them if their white dog didn’t run over to ours. Benji and the white off leash dog sniff eachother and the interaction is seemingly fine. Then, not even 30 seconds later, their other dog that was black comes bolting towards our dog (I’m talking making a b-line to my dog, prey drive) with the leash still attached behind it. Immediately the owners come calling and chasing after this black dog (leading one to believe that their black dog is aggressive in the first place). Without any interaction, or even time for my dog to notice the black dog, his neck is in the dogs mouth. Benji only let out one yelp as he was being robbed of air immediately by the jaws of this black dog. The male dog owner begins trying to pull his dog away, while my dogs neck was still in the dogs grip (worst thing to do as you’re more likely to have tearing happen). At this point I was screaming for someone to help us. My partner was pushing Benji towards the bite to avoid even more severe injuries. I was initially trying to pry the dogs mouth open but obviously failed. Then I saw Benji’s tongue going blue and his eyes bulging out of their socket, my dog was dying right in front of my eyes. I grabbed the black dogs collar and choked the dog until he released my dog (thank goodness Kyle told me this trick one random day a year ago). As Benji tried running away to our belongings for safety, their white dog attacked again. The female owner was useless and couldn’t even manage the white dog while we tried to break up the attack between Benji and the black dog. The male owner was involved in trying to separate the dogs and allegedly required 14 stitches after. Both the man and woman remained on scene and provided contact information (although bylaw informed us that the name provided is not what matches the dog license registration information?) I have a picture and detailed Facebook post about the incident...

By far the most scenic beach available to visitors and residents, Spanish Banks offers plenty of sport, sun and sand. We walked the entirety of Spanish Banks looking for the "dog beach" listed on the City of Vancouver Website. An off-leash area to enjoy the surf with your pooch seemed like a must on a sunny weekend but we were a bit dismayed to find that the "beach" was really a grassy park located about 200m west of the West Concession. The access to the water is rocky, shallow and has a bit of an odor from the decaying plant matter caught in the surf. It's a far cry from the sun and sand paradise located within visible distance.

The dog park is regularly occupied by families and people playing sports or having a general bbq so having your dog run around chasing balls can be a bit of a hazard during peak times. Generally people are friendly but the proximity to the sea wall path can be a bit crowded as people walk through the park depending on the time of day.

Overall it's a lovely location that is a bit of a let down for anyone expecting a slice of the...

My dog loves this off-leash dog beach 🐕‍🦺🐕🥰. He gets anxious just smelling we are getting closer and will run to the beach as soon as we arrive. On sunny days you will find many dog owners and dogs just being happy being there. You will see dogs playing with other dogs or fetching sticks from the water. It is just a heart-warming, happy feeling 🫶. When the tide is low it is possible to walk a kilometer or so on the seafloor. The water is usually cold but on sunny days it is cool and you can see people getting in the water with their dogs. There are some trees where you can lay down under a shadow and logs in case you do not want to sit on the sand. The beach is sandy but there is gravel just before getting in the water and for a couple meters in the water. There are some honey buckets within walking distance. Overall it is...