Claim: A notice from the Pitt Meadows City Hall requests residents to be courteous to Muslim neighbors, stating that dogs are considered unclean in Islam and should be kept leashed and away from the community.
Conclusion: False. The notice is not authentic and was not issued by the Pitt Meadows City Hall.
Rating: Totally False — 
A viral image of a flyer circulated numerous times every now and then on social media shows a notice with a Pitt Meadows city logo resembling an official emblem. The flyer contains the text “Please be courteous to your Muslim neighbours. Many Muslims live in this area and dogs are considered filthy in Islam. Please keep your dogs on a leash and away from the Muslims who live in this community.”
Residents of Vancouver, Canada, have spotted several signs around the city asking people to keep their dogs away, as dogs are considered filthy and ‘haram’ in Islam.
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/8bzvU8F1GT
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) July 7, 2025
The claim asserts an official directive from the Pitt Meadows City Hall, which suggests a formal community guideline in B.C. park. Over the years, this image has been resurfacing on the internet several times, hurting religious sentiments and appears to incite division.
FACT CHECK
DigitEye India decided to fact check this claim and performed a reverse image search to check the authenticity of it. We discovered that this image was shared several times over social media and originated in September 2017.
Several media outlets have covered this already in 2017 like the report by Abbotsford News. They highlight how “Carolyn Baldridge, manager of communications for the city, said the signs bear the city logo, but do not originate from city hall. They were found at Hoffman Park, which is a designated dog off-leash area.”
Find a section from it below –
Other media outlets like the report by Global News also echoed a similar sentiment. They asserted, “Pitt Meadows Mayor John Becker also confirmed the city had nothing to do with the flyers and suspects they are the work of a lone individual. According to the report, Becker mentioned how they’re ‘anonymous most of the time, people don’t have the stones to get up and say ‘well this is what I believe in and here’s my name’.
Such posts continued to appear, for instance, one in 2023 (here) among many others.
BE COURTEOUS TO YOUR MUSLIM NEIGHBOURS
– PLEASE REMEMBER:
DOGS ARE CONSIDERED FILTHY IN ISLAM …
…
WHAT ?
This isn’t in any way to be racists – when you come to my country for a better life & our freedoms I only ask that you assimilate, adapt to our culture, customs & belief https://t.co/3NTXLmafIv— Raia_B (@Artamia) January 9, 2023
The City of Pitt Meadows issued a statement on August 19, 2024 clarifying that the signs, which bore the city’s logo, were not authorized or created by City Hall. They were promptly removed, and the city emphasized its commitment to a welcoming, multicultural community. Find the link to the official statement here.
Another aspect is the Islamic perspective on dogs as many Muslims own dogs, and Islamic teachings emphasize kindness to animals,
A report by Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News quotes Shakeel Gaya, founder and president of the Islamic Society of Ridge Meadows. According to him, observant Muslims are allowed to keep dogs for the purpose of hunting and guarding. However, If a dog licks a Muslim before praying, they must wash themselves.
Thus, the flyer is fabricated and an official statement by the Pitt Meadows City Hall has clarified this.
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