Are Dogs Allowed at Camosun College in Victoria?

No, Camosun College does not let you bring a personal pet dog to campus. There is no pets-welcome policy at either the Lansdowne or Interurban campus, and that means your dog stays home unless they are a service or guide dog, or an emotional support animal approved case by case. The only dogs you will reliably see on campus, beyond service animals, are therapy dogs at scheduled library events a few times a term.

Our family has lived with dogs in Victoria for a long time, and this is a question we get from students and from parents scouting the campuses. So here is the honest breakdown of the rule, plus the good news: both campuses sit within minutes of some genuinely nice dog walking, so you are not stuck with a boring sidewalk loop.

What is Camosun's actual pet policy?

Camosun does not publish a blanket "pets welcome" rule, and that absence is the policy in practice. A personal pet, walked through the atrium or tied outside a classroom building, is not something the college accommodates on either campus.

Service and guide dogs are different. They are permitted in learning and assessment spaces as an academic accommodation, and Camosun's Centre for Accessible Learning is the office that arranges it. Emotional support animals are treated as pets under Camosun's rules, not as service animals, and they are approved only through an individual accommodation review.

If a service or support animal is part of your study plan, contact the Centre for Accessible Learning before term starts. If you are just hoping to walk the dog through campus, expect a polite no from Campus Security.

What about the therapy dogs I have heard about on campus?

They are real, and they are a highlight of exam season. St. John Ambulance therapy dog teams and Pacific Animal Therapy Society (PATS) dogs have visited the libraries at both the Lansdowne and Interurban campuses a few times per term, timed to when student stress peaks.

Those are announced, scheduled events for students. The library posts the dates, and the handlers bring their own certified dogs. It is a lovely thing to know about if you study there, but it is not a reason to bring your own dog looking for a pat-in.

Where can I walk my dog near the Lansdowne campus?

Lansdowne sits at 3100 Foul Bay Road, and the green space around it is excellent. Gonzales Hill Regional Park is minutes away at the end of Foul Bay Road, a short loop with big views over Gonzales Bay and the Strait. Dogs are welcome but must stay leashed.

Head toward the water and you hit the City of Victoria's best-known leash-optional ground: Clover Point and the Dallas Road strip that runs along the waterfront. On a clear evening it is the classic Victoria dog walk, people and pups spread along the grass above the surf.

If you want off-leash room to throw a ball, Cattle Point and Uplands Park in Oak Bay is a short drive from campus, with leash-optional bluffs and seasonal water access that our Rottweiler Ziggy has loved since he was a puppy.

Where can I take my dog near the Interurban campus?

The Interurban campus at 4461 Interurban Road is the easy one. Thetis Lake Regional Park is right next door, and it is one of the best dog walks in the region: forest trails, a big lake, and a marked off-leash area. We have worn out many a weekend afternoon there.

Panama Flats, a short walk down Interurban Road, used to be a free-for-all for off-leash dogs. That changed in January 2026, when Saanich voted to make it on-leash everywhere as the land becomes a bird sanctuary. It is still a fine, flat walk with the dog on a standard leash, just not a run-your-dog-tired spot anymore.

One practical note if you park at Thetis: the leash rules vary by zone and the signage is posted at the trailheads, so read the board before you unclip, and Saanich's retractable leash ban applies throughout the municipality.

Does campus proximity actually matter for dog owners buying a home?

It does, and it is one of the first things we tell buyers looking near either campus. Not because of the campus itself, but because of what surrounds it. Homes near Interurban put Thetis Lake out your back door. Homes near Lansdowne put Gonzales Hill, Clover Point, and the whole Dallas Road waterfront within an easy walk.

When we show properties in those rings, we time the walk from the front door to the nearest off-leash ground and check the fence line before almost anything else. A dog owner can buy the perfect house and still be miserable if the morning walk starts with a highway crossing. We have helped dog owners find homes in every campus-adjacent neighbourhood, from the student rental market near Lansdowne to family streets off Interurban Road.