Four reasons to leash
- It is the law. The Bluff Trail is not a designated off-leash area, and it is governed by the Wildlife Act, which prohibits dogs running at large at any time of year (section 41).
- Dogs pose a risk to vulnerable species. The trail is inside an area designated for wilderness protection, and off-leash dogs destroy sensitive flora, disturb wildlife and damage ground nests.
- Dogs get hurt out here. Porcupine, coyote and other animals live along the trail, and hunting and trapping are permitted on this land.
- For the comfort of other users. WRWEO has received numerous complaints about both overly friendly and aggressive dogs — dogs that jump on people, damage clothing and eat food. There have also been reports of people being bitten. Dogs off leash act as a barrier to people who are not comfortable around them for personal or cultural reasons.
Best practice, good compromise, and harm
Best practice in an ideal Leave No Trace world
Do not bring dogs into protected wilderness areas at all.
A good compromise that reduces harm
Keep dogs on leash. Pick up and carry out dog faeces. Make sure dogs stay on the trail and the boardwalk and do not damage ground nests or sensitive flora such as the carnivorous pitcher plant.
Practices that damage the wilderness
Dogs travelling off leash destroy sensitive flora, disturb wildlife and bother other trail users. Uncollected faeces — or worse, plastic bags of faeces left on the trail or in the bushes — are a real problem both for other hikers and for the sensitive ecology of the area.
Carrying the waste out
There is a bag dispenser mounted on a tree as you leave The Bluff Trail parking lot to access the Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea (BLT) trail. There are garbage containers in the parking lot and on the BLT trail at Cranberry Lake, just west of The Bluff Trail head.
There are no garbage containers anywhere on The Bluff Trail. Dog owners should be prepared to carry dog waste off the trail to the public containers. Given the length of this trail, that may mean carrying it for several kilometres.
Please do not stash and retrieve
Because of the growing number of users, faeces need to be collected immediately and carried with you. Please do not leave bags on the trail or hung in the trees to be picked up on the way back. There is no way for another hiker to tell the difference between a bag waiting to be retrieved and one that has been abandoned, and the presence of litter along the trail damages both the experience and the stewardship of a protected wilderness area.
Alternatively, and in line with the Leave No Trace principle used for human waste, dog waste may be buried at least 60 m off the trail and away from water.
Where to go off leash instead
For off-leash recreation, use one of HRM's designated off-leash areas, such as:
- Sandy Lake Park, Bedford
- Hemlock Ravine Park
- Fort Needham Memorial Park
- Point Pleasant Park
- Shubie Park
- Dartmouth Common
Thank you for your help in maintaining The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail in accordance with Leave No Trace practices. Your cooperation will help ensure the survival of this protected wilderness area and all the life within it.
More information
- Keeping pets safe in the wilderness (PDF, Province of Nova Scotia)
- Dog ownership and running at large (Halifax Regional Municipality)