Two B.C. national park visitors have been penalized to different degrees for failing to control their dogs, following a provincial court sitting in Revelstoke.
The two hearings wrapped up on March 4 at the Revelstoke Courthouse regarding dog owners who Parks Canada enforcement charged under the Canada National Parks Act (CNPA) for not keeping their dogs controlled on a leash.
The first hearing finalized the case of Paul Jonathan Hunns, who in August 2025 pleaded not guilty during a multi-day trial, but this year switched his plea to guilty, ending the trial sooner than expected.
On April 23, 2024, Parks Canada warden Thomas Robinson encountered resistance and profanity from Hunns while attempting to issue a $60 ticket for allegedly failing to keep his dog leashed outside his vehicle in Mount Revelstoke National Park.
This resulted in a prolonged pursuit of Hunns to issue the ticket, Robinson described during last year’s trial, and a conviction under the CNPA with one count of resisting an officer and two counts of failing to control a domestic animal.
READ: Yukon man discharged for resisting Revelstoke police in ‘difficult’ court ruling
On March 4, Hunns said his dog remained merely two feet away from him outside the vehicle, and he accused Robinson of not knowing how to do his job.
“It’s not this man’s right to do this to me,” he told Justice Dennis Isaac Ferbey.
Representing the federal Crown, Kieran Smith with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada sought total discharge for Hunns with a $1,200 fine and a six-month ban from Mount Revelstoke.
Smith described the situation escalating to “an intentional and prolonged violation of the Domestic Animals Regulation, notwithstanding the interaction with the warden,” instead of Hunns simply accepting the ticket.
Justice Ferbey said that Hunns wasn’t exhibiting remorse on March 4 for his actions and still felt they were justified, despite making a guilty plea of his own will.
“I sure hope that he’s learned from this process that identifying himself so he could have been issued that ticket would’ve helped resolve things smoothly,” the judge said.
Hunns said his dog was well behaved, but Smith countered that it’s not about the animal’s behaviour but about keeping dogs under control to avoid negative interactions with Parks Canada staff, visitors, and wildlife.
“Penalties for that need to be substantial, and that is what the case law has said over time,” Smith concluded.
The judge ruled that Hunns would have 18 months to pay a $1,200 fine, with the victim surcharge waived and a ban from Mount Revelstoke lasting until Sept. 2, 2026, except for driving along the Trans-Canada Highway.
“Parks Canada is pleased with the court’s decision,” public relations officer Guylaine St-Gelais told Black Press Media by email.
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Also on March 4, Justice Ferbey heard the case of Gracy Cysouw, who entered a guilty plea for failing to stop her German Shepherd from biting and injuring another visitor during a rest stop on Aug. 13, 2025, at Glacier National Park’s Rock Garden.
The father of a family parked at the rock garden was bitten after Cysouw’s dog, reportedly scared by the whistle of a passing train, broke off leash, ran back to the parking lot, and jumped in the family’s vehicle before biting the father’s hand as he tried to remove it.
The father reported that Cysouw made no effort to remove the dog from the vehicle, while Cysouw said she had leashed the dog again after the incident and left because the family was yelling, but was heading for the local RCMP to file a report. Robinson later pulled her over, after which she was convicted on one count of contravening the CNPA.
“Had this (father) not put his hands on my dog, he’d never have been bitten,” Cysouw contested March 4.
However, federal Crown prosecutor Nick Elson said it was understandable the father got scared and reacted as he did, because “the dog was a large German Shepherd (that) jumped in his car with his 11-year-old daughter.”
The circumstances of this incident challenged Justice Ferbey in making a decision, because the dog had been restrained but still ultimately got loose and bit someone.
“It does seem to be one of these cases that’s very close to the line in terms of culpability,” the judge said. “In my view, this is a case of low culpability.”
He clarified that Cysouw wasn’t being charged for having a dog off leash, and that he accepts it was leashed.
Still, Elson sought a penalty of $2,500 and a 12-month national park prohibition — “appropriate given the harm and need for deterrence,” he told Justice Ferbey.
“The regulation of domestic wildlife, it serves to protect wildlife, but also to protect other park users,” Elson noted, deeming his proposed penalty justified because “this was a case where there was actual harm.”
Elson described the “somewhat gruesome” injury the father sustained to his hand, which required stitches and has left him with nerve pain.
Cysouw said the incident was also stressful for her. The dog was the third German Shepherd she’s trained and owned.
READ: Skiers each fined $1K for entering restricted park zone near Revelstoke
Regardless, all parties agreed that the dog caused harm to someone. Justice Ferbey, who once owned a pitbull for guarding livestock, said it doesn’t take long to get acquainted with the risk a dog poses to others.
“I’m sorry that this happened,” Cysouw said. “I had no anticipation that this would happen at all. And he was leashed.”
The judge said voluntary compliance must be enforced in national parks through significant fines.
“Penalties need to be more than a slap on the wrist, but less than a fatal blow,” he said.
Given Cysouw’s low financial means, Justice Ferbey imposed a fine of $500 with no victim surcharge, which will support Parks Canada’s environmental damages fund, with one year to pay and no national park ban.
The CNPA requires dogs to be kept on leash up to three metres long and under physical control at all times in national parks.
“When individuals break the law, stronger enforcement may be required,” St-Gelais with Parks Canada said. “The enforcement actions taken in these cases reflect that commitment.”
She said visitors are also expected to clean up and dispose of their dog’s waste, check which trails allow dogs, and consider not bringing their dog if camping, hiking or travelling in the backcountry.
“Parks Canada has taken a targeted approach to balance ecological protection with visitor experience,” St-Gelais added.
Pets aren’t allowed in the Glacier National Park backcountry during the winter permit season (Nov. 15 until sometime in April or May) due to “repeated incidents involving off-leash dogs in avalanche terrain (that) raised safety concerns.”
Dogs also aren’t permitted up Balu Pass in Glacier National Park to protect grizzly bear habitat, and may not go beyond Mount Revelstoke’s Columbia Viewpoint to the summit or backcountry areas due to past incidents between wildlife such as grizzlies and uncontrolled dogs.
READ: Driver fined $4,500, banned after twice ignoring Rogers Pass closure
More recent issues have arisen in areas where dogs are permitted, such as along the lower groomed sections of Mount Revelstoke’s Meadows in the Sky Parkway. Parks Canada reports multiple off-leash dogs and dog waste left on the trail.
“These behaviors are creating safety concerns for other visitors and wildlife as well as operational challenges for trail grooming,” St-Gelais said. “If non-compliance with dogs’ restrictions continues, stronger measures, including additional restrictions, may have to be considered.”
Failure to obey dog restrictions can result in fines up to $25,000. Parks Canada asks anyone who knows about the violations under the CNPA in Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks to report such incidents as soon as possible.
“In areas where dogs are permitted in national parks, keeping pets on leash and under control at all times is the law — for the safety of pets, people, and wildlife,” St-Gelais said.
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