'Leave our dog park': Disc golf holes vandalized as tempers flare

Dog owners accused of disc golf vandalism Organizers of a local disc golf club are blaming users of a dog park after their equipment was vandalized.

Tensions between dog owners and disc golfers turned ugly over the weekend at a park in Vancouver's posh Shaughnessy neighbourhood.

On Sunday, people using a disc golf course that overlaps with an off-leash dog area in Quilchena Park discovered three of the holes had been vandalized.

The chains used to catch frisbees were clipped, and the holes were scrawled with graffiti reading "dogs only" and "leave our dog park." Though some disc golfers have experienced friction with dog owners before, the dramatic escalation was a shock.

"It's definitely someone making a statement," said Michael Guinness of the Van City United disc golf league. "They want you to know they're feeling some sort of animosity about the sport being here and the aspect of sharing the park."

Quilchena is a busy space that also includes two baseball diamonds, a playground and a skate park. Some disc golfers told CTV News they're generally happy to skip certain holes if there are too many people nearby.

"I'm a dog owner too, so I think we can all just get along. I wish we could all just get along," said Brady Robinson.

But clearly not everyone has been so friendly and accommodating. Online, some dog walkers have reported running into rude disc golfers who used profanity to get their way. Some golfers also said there have been issues with dogs running off with frisbees.

The disc golf holes are maintained by Van City United, and the club was expecting to pay hundreds of dollars to repair the baskets. But the Vancouver Park Board has pledged to take care of repairs as it works to ease conflicts in the park.

"Part of the plan going forward is to improve the signage, and also for people to understand expectations for dogs going off-leash," said board planner Erin Embley. "I think both groups need to understand each other."

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos