Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Community Health
Published in: Journal of Community Health 2/2018

Open Access 01-04-2018 | Review

Public Health Considerations Associated with the Location and Operation of Off-Leash Dog Parks

Authors: Tissa Rahim, Pablo Romero Barrios, Geoffrey McKee, Melissa McLaws, Tom Kosatsky

Published in: Journal of Community Health | Issue 2/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

Off-leash dog parks may enhance human health, but may also lead to health risk through infection or canine aggression. Published evidence was reviewed to examine positive and negative public health impacts of off-leash dog parks, as well as strategies for enhancing benefits and mitigating risks. Evidence suggests that off-leash dog parks can benefit physical and social health, as well as community connectedness. While studies have documented shedding of zoonotic agents in dog parks, the risk of transmission to humans is relatively unknown. Evidence on the risk of dog bites in off-leash dog parks is also limited. Case-examples from North American off-leash dog parks highlight the importance of park location/design, public adherence to safe and hygienic practices, and effective regulatory strategies for mitigating potential risks and maximizing the benefits of off-leash dog parks.
Literature
1.
Rock, M. J., Degeling, C., Graham, T. M., Toohey, A. M., Rault, D., & McCormack, G. R. (2016). Public engagement and community participation in governing urban parks: A case study in changing and implementing a policy addressing off-leash dogs. Critical Public Health, 26(5), 588–601.CrossRef
2.
3.
Allen, L. (2007). Dog parks: Benefits and liabilities. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.
4.
Walsh, J. (2011). Unleashed fury: The political struggle for dog-friendly parks. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press.
5.
Instone, L., & Sweeney, J. (2014). The trouble with dogs: ‘Animaling’ public space in the Australian city. Continuum, 28(6), 774–786.CrossRef
6.
Matisoff, D., & Noonan, D. (2012). Managing contested greenspace: Neighborhood commons and the rise of dog parks. International Journal of the Commons, 6(1), 28–51.CrossRef
7.
Holmberg, T. (2013). Trans-species urban politics. Space and Culture, 16(1), 28–42.CrossRef
8.
Toohey, A. M., & Rock, M. J. (2015). Newspaper portrayals, local policies, and dog-supportive public space: Who’s wagging whom? Anthrozoos, 28(4), 549–567.CrossRef
9.
10.
Wilmot, E. G., Edwardson, C. L., Achana, F. A., Davies, M. J., Gorely, T., Gray, L. J., et al. (2012). Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and death: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia, 55(11), 2895–2905.CrossRefPubMed
11.
12.
13.
Ham, S. A., & Epping, J. Dog walking and physical activity in the United States. Preventing Chronic Disease, 3(2), A47.
14.
Ball, K., Bauman, A., Leslie, E., & Owen, N. (2001). Perceived environmental aesthetics and convenience and company are associated with walking for exercise among Australian adults. Preventive Medicine, 33(5), 434–440.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Cutt, H., Giles-Corti, B., Knuiman, M., & Burke, V. (2007). Dog ownership, health and physical activity: A critical review of the literature. Health & Place, 13(1), 261–272.CrossRef
16.
Christian, H. E., Westgarth, C., Bauman, A., Richards, E. A., Rhodes, R. E., Evenson, K. R., et al. (2013). Dog ownership and physical activity: A review of the evidence. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 10(5), 750–759.CrossRef
17.
McCormack, G. R., Rock, M., Sandalack, B., & Uribe, F. A. (2011). Access to off-leash parks, street pattern and dog walking among adults. Public Health, 125(8), 540–546.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Friedmann, E., & Thomas, S. A. (1995). Pet ownership, social support, and one-year survival after acute myocardial infarction in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST). The American Journal of Cardiology, 76(17), 1213–1217.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Allen, K. (2003). Are pets a healthy pleasure? The influence of pets on blood pressure. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(6), 236–239.CrossRef
20.
Allen, D. T. (1997). Effects of dogs on human health. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 210(8), 1136–1139.PubMed
21.
Toohey, A. M., McCormack, G. R., Doyle-Baker, P. K., Adams, C. L., & Rock, M. J. (2013). Dog-walking and sense of community in neighborhoods: Implications for promoting regular physical activity in adults 50 years and older. Health & Place, 22, 75–81.CrossRef
22.
Cutt, H., Giles-Corti, B., & Knuiman, M. (2008). Encouraging physical activity through dog walking: Why don’t some owners walk with their dog? Preventive Medicine, 46(2), 120–126.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Yabroff, K. R., Troiano, R. P., & Berrigan, D. (2008). Walking the dog: Is pet ownership associated with physical activity in California? Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 5(2), 216–228.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Brown, S. G., & Rhodes, R. E. (2006). Relationships among dog ownership and leisure-time walking in Western Canadian adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30(2), 131–136.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Oka, K., & Shibata, A. (2009). Dog ownership and health-related physical activity among Japanese adults. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 6(4), 412–418.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Temple, V., Rhodes, R., & Wharf Higgins, J. (2011). Unleashing physical activity: An observational study of park use, dog walking, and physical activity. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 8(6), 766–774.
27.
Cutt, H. E., Giles-Corti, B., Knuiman, M. W., & Pikora, T. J. (2008). Physical activity behavior of dog owners: Development and reliability of the dogs and physical activity (DAPA) tool. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 5(s1), S73–S89.CrossRef
28.
Cutt, H. E., Knuiman, M. W., & Giles-Corti, B. (2008). Does getting a dog increase recreational walking? International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 17.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
29.
Thorpe, R. J., Simonsick, E. M., Brach, J. S., Ayonayon, H., Satterfield, S., Harris, T. B., et al. (2006). Dog ownership, walking behavior, and maintained mobility in late life. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54(9), 1419–1424.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Cohen, D. A., Marsh, T., Williamson, S., Derose, K. P., Martinez, H., Setodji, C., et al. (2010). Parks and physical activity: Why are some parks used more than others? Preventive Medicine, 50(Suppl 1), S9–S12.
31.
Lee, H.-S., Shepley, M., & Huang, C.-S. (2009). Evaluation of off-leash dog parks in Texas and Florida: A study of use patterns, user satisfaction, and perception. Landscape and Urban Planning, 92(3–4), 314–324.CrossRef
32.
Evenson, K. R., Shay, E., Williamson, S., & Cohen, D. A. (2016). Use of dog parks and the contribution to physical activity for their owners. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 87(2), 165–173.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Rock, M. J., Graham, T. M., Massolo, A., & McCormack, G. R. (2016). Dog-walking, dog-fouling and leashing policies in urban parks: Insights from a natural experiment designed as a longitudinal multiple-case study. Landscape & Urban Planning, 153, 40–50.CrossRef
34.
Floyd, M. F., Spengler, J. O., Maddock, J. E., Gobster, P. H., & Suau, L. J. (2008). Park-based physical activity in diverse communities of two U.S. cities. An observational study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 34(4), 299–305.CrossRefPubMed
35.
House, J., Landis, K., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241(4865), 540–545.CrossRefPubMed
36.
37.
38.
McNicholas, J., & Collis, G. M. (2000). Dogs as catalysts for social interactions: Robustness of the effect. British Journal of Psychology, 91(1), 61–70.CrossRefPubMed
39.
McNicholas, J., Gilbey, A., Rennie, A., Ahmedzai, S., Dono, J. A., & Ormerod, E. (2005). Pet ownership and human health: A brief review of evidence and issues. BMJ (Clinical Research ed.), 331(7527), 1252–1254.CrossRef
40.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
41.
Bulsara, M., Wood, L., Giles-Corti, B., & Bosch, D. (2007). More than a furry companion: The ripple effect of companion animals on neighborhood interactions and sense of community. Society & Animals, 15(1), 43–56.CrossRef
42.
Graham, T. M., & Glover, T. D. (2014). On the fence: Dog parks in the (Un)leashing of community and social capital. Leisure Sciences, 36(3), 217–234.CrossRef
43.
Derges, J., Lynch, R., Clow, A., & Petticrew, M. (2012). Complaints about dog faeces as a symbolic representation of incivility in London, UK: A qualitative study. Critical Public Health, 22(4), 419–425.
44.
Wilson, N. (2014). Levels of dog control and dog fouling in a large public park: Methods issues and survey results. New Zealand Medical Journal, 127(1406), 95–97.PubMed
45.
Atenstaedt, R. L., & Jones, S. (2011). Interventions to prevent dog fouling: A systematic review of the evidence. Public Health, 125(2), 90–92.CrossRefPubMed
46.
Ahmed, L. N., Price, L. B., & Graham, J. P. (2015). An exploratory study of dog park visits as a risk factor for exposure to drug-resistant extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). BMC Research Notes, 8, 137.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
47.
Wang, A., Ruch-Gallie, R., Scorza, V., Lin, P., & Lappin, M. R. (2012). Prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species in dog park attending dogs compared to non-dog park attending dogs in one region of Colorado. Veterinary Parasitology, 184(2–4), 335–340.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Traversa, D., di Regalbono, A. F., Di Cesare, A., La Torre, F., & Drake, J. (2014). Environmental contamination by canine geohelminths. Parasites and Vectors, 7(67), 1–9.
49.
Smith, A. F., Rock, M., Neumann, N., & Massolo, A. (2015). Urban park-related risks for Giardia spp. infection in dogs. Epidemiology and Infection, 143(15), 3277–3291.CrossRefPubMed
50.
Procter, T. D., Pearl, D. L., Finley, R. L., Leonard, E. K., Janecko, N., Reid-Smith, R. J., et al. (2014). A cross-sectional study examining campylobacter and other zoonotic enteric pathogens in dogs that frequent dog parks in three cities in South-Western Ontario and risk factors for shedding of campylobacter spp. Zoonoses & Public Health, 61(3), 208–218.CrossRef
51.
Morters, M. K., Restif, O., Hampson, K., Cleaveland, S., Wood, J. L. N., & Conlan, A. J. K. (2013). Evidence-based control of canine rabies: A critical review of population density reduction. Journal of Animal Ecology, 82(1), 6–14.CrossRefPubMed
52.
Martinez-Moreno, F. J., Hernandez, S., Lopez-Cobos, E., Becerra, C., & Acosta, I. (2007). Estimation of canine intestinal parasites in Córdoba (Spain) and their risk to public health. Veterinary Parasitology, 143(1), 7–13.CrossRefPubMed
53.
Marchioro, A. A., Colli, C. M., Ferreira, E. C., Tiyo, R., & Mattia, S. (2013). Identification of public areas with potential toxocariasis transmission risk using geographical information systems. Acta Parasitologica, 58(3), 328–333.CrossRefPubMed
54.
Holland, C., O’Connor, P., Taylor, M. R., Hughes, G., Girdwood, R. W., & Smith, H. (1991). Families, parks, gardens and toxocariasis. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 23(2), 225–231.CrossRefPubMed
55.
Halsby, K., Senyonjo, L., Gupta, S., Ladbury, G., & Suvari, M. (2016). Epidemiology of Toxocariasis in England and Wales. Zoonoses Public Health, 63(7), 529–533.CrossRefPubMed
56.
Gillespie, S. H., Pereira, M., & Ramsay, A. (1991). The prevalence of Toxocara canis ova in soil samples from parks and gardens in the London area. Public health (London), 105(4), 335–339.CrossRef
57.
Despommier, D. D. (2003). Toxocariasis: Clinical aspects, epidemiology, medical ecology, and molecular aspects. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 16(2), 265–272.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
58.
Dado, D., Izquierdo, F., Vera, O., Montoya, A., & Mateo, M. (2012). Detection of zoonotic intestinal parasites in public parks of Spain. Potential epidemiological role of microsporidia. Zoonoses Public Health, 59(1), 23–28.CrossRefPubMed
59.
Bouzid, M., Halal, K., Jeffreys, D., & Hunter, P. R. (2015). The prevalence of Giardia infection in dogs and cats, a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies from stool samples. Veterinary Parasitology, 207(3–4), 181–202.CrossRefPubMed
60.
Day, M. J. Pet-related infections. American Family Physician, 94(10), 794–802.
61.
Westgarth, C., Christley, R. M., Pinchbeck, G. L., Gaskell, R. M., Dawson, S., & Bradshaw, J. W. S. (2010). Dog behaviour on walks and the effect of use of the leash. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 125(1–2), 38–46.CrossRef
62.
Won, K. Y., Kruszon-Moran, D., Schantz, P. M., & Jones, J. L. (2008). National seroprevalence and risk factors for zoonotic Toxocara spp. infection. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 79(4), 552–557.PubMedCrossRef
63.
Glaser, C. A., Safrin, S., Reingold, A., & Newman, T. B. (1998) Association between Cryptosporidium infection and animal exposure in HIV-infected individuals. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, 17(1), 79–82.CrossRefPubMed
64.
Smith, A. F., Semeniuk, C. A. D., Kutz, S. J., & Massolo, A. (2014). Dog-walking behaviours affect gastrointestinal parasitism in park-attending dogs. Parasites and Vectors, 7(1), 429–438.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
65.
Gaunt, M. C., & Carr, A. P. (2011). A survey of intestinal parasites in dogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Canadian Veterinary Journal, 52(5), 497–500.
66.
Krauss, H. (2003). Zoonoses: Infectious diseases transmissible from animals to humans (Third edn., pp. 423–425).
67.
68.
Overall, K. L., & Love, M. (2001). Dog bites to humans—demography, epidemiology, injury, and risk. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 218(12), 1923–1934.CrossRefPubMed
69.
Ozanne-Smith, J., Ashby, K., & Stathakis, V. (2001). Dog bite and injury prevention—analysis, critical review, and research agenda. Injury Prevention, 7(4), 321–326.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
70.
Giles-Corti, B., Broomhall, M. H., Knuiman, M., Collins, C., Douglas, K., Ng, K., et al. (2005). Increasing walking: How important is distance to, attractiveness, and size of public open space? American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 28(2 Suppl 2), 169–176.CrossRefPubMed
71.
Cutt, H. C., Hayley, C., Billie, G.-C., & Matthew, K. (2010). “I’m just a’-walking the dog” correlates of regular dog walking. Family and Community Health, 33(1), 44–52.CrossRef
72.
Westgarth, C., Christley, R. M., & Christian, H. E. (2014). How might we increase physical activity through dog walking?: A comprehensive review of dog walking correlates. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(1), 83–97.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
73.
Suminski, R. R., Poston, W. S., Petosa, R. L., Stevens, E., & Katzenmoyer, L. M. (2005). Features of the neighborhood environment and walking by U.S. adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 28(2), 149–155.CrossRefPubMed
74.
75.
Procter, T. D., Pearl, D. L., Finley, R. L., Leonard, E. K., & Janecko, N. (2014). A cross-sectional study examining the prevalence and risk factors for anti-microbial-resistant generic Escherichia coli in domestic dogs that frequent dog parks in three cities in south-western Ontario, Canada. Zoonoses Public Health, 61(4), 250–259.CrossRefPubMed
76.
77.
Avrasin, M. (2008). Dog fight: Dogpark supporters are often pitted against their neighbors. Parks and Recreation-West Virginia, 43(1), 38.
78.
79.
De Keuster, T., Lamoureux, J., & Kahn, A. (2006). Epidemiology of dog bites: A Belgian experience of canine behaviour and public health concerns. Veterinary Journal, 172(3), 482–487.CrossRef
80.
Duperrex, O., Blackhall, K., Burri, M., & Jeannot, E. (2009). Education of children and adolescents for the prevention of dog bite injuries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2), CD004726.
81.
Gómez, E. (2013). Dog parks: Benefits, conflicts, and suggestions. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 31(4), 79–91.
82.
83.
84.
Metadata
Title
Public Health Considerations Associated with the Location and Operation of Off-Leash Dog Parks
Authors
Tissa Rahim
Pablo Romero Barrios
Geoffrey McKee
Melissa McLaws
Tom Kosatsky
Publication date
01-04-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Community Health / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 0094-5145
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3610
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0428-2

Other articles of this Issue 2/2018

Journal of Community Health 2/2018 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Urban and Rural Adolescents’ Points-of-Access for Alcohol and Tobacco

Original Paper

Breast Cancer Screening for Patients of Rural Accountable Care Organization Clinics: A Multi-Level Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators

Original Paper

A Descriptive Study of Work Ability and Health Problems Among Brazilian Recyclable Waste Pickers

Original Paper

Evaluation of Pharmacist-Initiated Interventions on Vaccination Rates in Patients with Asthma or COPD

Review

Enablers and Barriers to Community Engagement in Public Health Emergency Preparedness: A Literature Review

Original Paper

Use of Traditional Healing Practices in Two Ontario First Nations