19 in 20 dogs seized in Winnipeg live to bark another day

If a dog running loose in Winnipeg is picked up by the pound, its chances of survival are better than 19 out of 20.

Animal Services is reporting a 96 per cent live-release rate for 2015, when it picked up about 1,000 dogs and only euthanized 41 of them.

Animal Services chief operating officer Leland Gordon said a combination of increased dog-licensing, social-media efforts to reunite lost canines with their owners, adoption programs and animal-services volunteers are all responsible for boosting the live-release rate.

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In 2008, Animal Services found homes for only about 75 per cent of the dogs it took in, he said.

Speaking to council's innovation committee on Monday, Gordon also said 592 dogs were reunited with their owners by 311, without being impounded, simply because they were licensed.

"I always tell people, 'Would you trust your neighbour a few blocks down the street if it just had a chip or tattoo? Is that neighbour going to know to look for a chip? Are they going to know to look for a tattoo?"

​About 49,000 Winnipeg dogs are licensed, according to the special operating agency's 2016 business plan. Approximately 1,000 of those licences were issued on a complimentary basis.

Gordon also told the innovation committee that Animal Services has two snakes in custody.

"There are snakes running loose in the streets of Winnipeg," he said, noting all are abandoned pets and most do not survive.