Montreal dog owners question new rules
Owners may face fines if their dogs are caught without a leash or identification tags
Even before the City of Montreal unveiled details of its proposed new animal control bylaw aimed at cracking down on pitbulls and other dogs deemed dangerous, dog owners in Montreal have been the subject of increased scrutiny this summer.
The City of Montreal increased the number of animal control inspectors whose job it is to check if dog owners have the appropriate identification tags for their pet and whether they keep their dog on a leash.
With fines starting at $100 for dogs caught off leash, and a potential fine of $250 for dogs without identification tags, not all dog owners agree that the new rules will increase safety in parks and on Montreal streets.
Eve Soban was walking her two dogs in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce when she was stopped by an animal control inspector and ticketed $300 because she didn't have identification tags for either dog.
Soban says she tried to get tags earlier this year, but borough offices had run out.
"He did give me the ticket for not having the tags, which was completely legitimate," Soban said.
"I did have them from previous years, but they were much easier to find before. I had no justification. I got busy, I just didn't get the tags."
Soban, who runs the DoggyDay training and daycare centre in NDG, says the city should focus on educating dog owners on the rules before it starts cracking down and handing out fines.
Control issues
Some dog owners in Girouard Park were in favour of the stricter enforcement of rules.
NDG resident Sam Baker said he doesn't bring his white husky into the dog park often, because he thinks too many off-leash dogs could make for a dangerous situation.
"It's just not good to have a lot of dogs running around all the time, especially because a lot of the owners who have their dogs off leash can't really control them," Baker said.
Leashes safer?
Tom MacKinnon lives in NDG and walks his Golden Retriever, Bai, in the park.
MacKinnon said he's seen the animal inspectors patrolling the park, but he isn't convinced that keeping dogs on leash will lead to a safer environment.
"Restricting the dogs so much as they're doing now, with [animal control inspectors] surrounding the dog parks, it's not only wasteful, but what's it doing? It's forcing people to never, ever have a free dog, which means your dog is going to become aggressive, eventually," he said.
"It's a matter of time. A dog on a leash is more aggressive than a dog off a leash."