Dogs and Canberra's lakes?

Watson said :

DeadlySchnauzer said :

While they may be safe, none of them are legal unless your dog is on a leash.

It is illegal to have a dog off leash in any public area in the ACT, other than designated and fenced dog parks.

Total nonsense. We are blessed with many off leash areas in the ACT other than those awful fenced dog parks. http://www.gim.act.gov.au/website/gimmapviewer/viewer.htm?SERVICE=dog&QUERYDOG=yes&TITLE=Dog%20Exercise%20Areas&LOGO=Tams_Colour_logo2.gif

And if you look at that map, you will notice that most of LBG is an off leash area! In fact, the rule is that dogs cannot swim a certain distance from a designated swimming area for humans, but are allowed in the water everywhere else.

Totally agree – people often shake their heads when we have our dogs off lead in designated areas. I wish people were more familiar with just how much of the ACT you are allowed to take your dog off lead.

leneuromancer said :

Ask yourself, which, if any of the lakes in Canberra, are safe for me to swim in?

– and there’s your answer!

It always makes me laugh how prissy lots of Canberrans are about swimming in the lakes. The water in those lakes is like pure spring water compared to the water I swam in as a kid. And maybe it shortened my lifespan by a few years because there was bound to be some serious toxins in some of the water I came into contact with. But it was well worth it and probably less harmful to my body than the additives in the food I eat every day anyway.

Just had to check because I’m taking the dogster to LBG this arvo and found the direct link: http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/WaterQuality/index.php/en/by-zone Click on an area to get the report. I think “low” levels are the normal state, ie. safe for both humans and dogs.

I am really hoping that we don’t get as many alerts as the last 2 summers because the humans in our family love going for swims in the lake when it gets hot too. Just so much more convenient than driving all the way out to Uriarra and I’m not a fan of swimming pools.

I take my dog to swim at Lake G all the time… there are a number of designated dog swimming areas where they are free to swin off-leash. He’s never had a problem or got sick from it.

Ask yourself, which, if any of the lakes in Canberra, are safe for me to swim in?

– and there’s your answer!

Watson said :

In fact, the rule is that dogs cannot swim a certain distance from a designated swimming area for humans, but are allowed in the water everywhere else.

That’s so the dogs don’t get contaminated from all the wee and poo being done by the human children in the water.

Lake Tuggeranong isn’t bad either, but you have to pick your spots and keep an eye on the muck on the surface. My hounds aren’t too fussy when it comes to jumping in but I try to keep them away from the gunk.

DeadlySchnauzer said :

While they may be safe, none of them are legal unless your dog is on a leash.

It is illegal to have a dog off leash in any public area in the ACT, other than designated and fenced dog parks.

Total nonsense. We are blessed with many off leash areas in the ACT other than those awful fenced dog parks. http://www.gim.act.gov.au/website/gimmapviewer/viewer.htm?SERVICE=dog&QUERYDOG=yes&TITLE=Dog%20Exercise%20Areas&LOGO=Tams_Colour_logo2.gif

And if you look at that map, you will notice that most of LBG is an off leash area! In fact, the rule is that dogs cannot swim a certain distance from a designated swimming area for humans, but are allowed in the water everywhere else.

While they may be safe, none of them are legal unless your dog is on a leash.

It is illegal to have a dog off leash in any public area in the ACT, other than designated and fenced dog parks.

Depends on the dog too. I’ll take my dog to LBG if there’s only mild blue-green algae contamination. But some dogs are more sensitive than others, some swallow more water/scum than others, etc. I did once have to take a friend’s dogs to the vet to get charcoal tablets after they swam in LBG.

But if you check the weekly water quality reports, you’ll be able to make an informed decision. Here’s the page to the LBG one: http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/WaterQuality/index.php/en/
They changed their site and it’s not very clear, but there’s PDFs somewhere detailing the monitoring results.

Uriarra Xing is awesome for dogs too if you have the time to drive there. My dog loves body surfing on the current there.