Dogs beware

Park space is scarce in the downtown area, so many dog owners take their pets to the large terraced area just east of Place des Arts (where the record shop is set up during the jazz festival). Dogs can run free, climb steps and unknowingly hop over the ledge which hides a 20-foot drop down to St-Urbain.

Dr. François Craig of the St-Louis Veterinary Clinic on St-Hubert says that in the past couple of years he has treated four dogs for multiple broken legs, suffered as a result of falling off the precipice.

At this point, Craig says it's no longer just about the dogs. "This is a matter of public safety and something needs to be done about it--put up a railing or something. It's only a matter of time before a person falls off that drop." Philip Preville