One of the toughest and most divisive issues in municipal politics has resurfaced in Toronto: dogs and what to do with them.

Earlier this year, in what turned out to be a lengthy and bitter fight, the city brought in new rules governing dogs in off-leash areas of parks.

Now the city's parks committee is in the process of bringing in new rules for professional dog walkers, following complaints that some dog walkers are trying to handle as many as a dozen animals at once.

The city is proposing a limit of six dogs per walker and a licensing fee of $200 per year.

The chair of the parks committee, Paula Fletcher, calls it "a very extreme issue. You either love dogs or you hate dogs, and people have very strong opinions."

The new rules, she said, are aimed at cracking down on those who abuse the system.

"There are some commercial dog walkers who drive up and have 12 dogs and empty them out of a van, let them run rough in the park and then put them back. This [licence fee] is attempting to regulate that type of activity."

Professional dog walkers are generally in favour of the new rules and agree there are bad apples who allow dogs to run amok in parks. But they want something in return for the fees and regulations.
 
Christine Ford, who runs Oh My Dog, is worried the fee is just a cash grab. She wants the money used to improve parks and crack down on the offenders.

That's exactly the intention of the new fee, according to Fletcher. "With this permit money we can look at enhancing some of the turf issues in dog off-leash areas that commercial dog walkers are using. So it's a benefit to everybody," Fletcher said.

The proposed new rules go to council for a final vote later this month.