City wants tougher bylaws for dangerous dogs

Dog owners whose pets have a history of biting and other aggressive behaviour will be required to put special tags on their pooches and warning signs on their lawns if recommendations in a city report are enacted into a buffed up bylaw. 

The report also calls for dangerous dogs to be muzzled, microchipped and banned from off-leash areas of city parks. 

A summary of the report says that while most of the city's estimated 230,000 dogs pose no threat, there "continue to be issues with some dogs that put public safety at risk."

"The proposed changes are intended to strengthen the city's ability to identify and limit dogs that are deemed dangerous," the report says. 

In 2015 the city's animal services department dealt with 754 complaints about dogs biting people and 431 reports of dog attacks or menacing behaviour. 

At the core of the proposed bylaw amendments is the concept that dog owners must be held accountable for their pets' actions.

Also, the report wants a dangerous dog defined in new bylaws as any dog that has "severely bitten a person or domestic animal."

Under the proposed new rules, dogs that are designated as dangerous must:

• Be kept muzzled and leashed at all times the dog is off the owner's property.
• Be banned from off-leash parks. 
• Wear a special tag identifying the dog as dangerous. 

Owners of dogs designated as dangerous would have to:

• Provide proof that the dog has been microchipped. 
• Provide proof of training. 

The proposed bylaw amendments would also limit tethering (defined as tying a dog to a stationary object), which the report highlights as a source of aggressive dog behaviour.

"Tethering can lead to a dog becoming aggressive or anxious and can cause physical and psychological damage to the dog," the report says.

As a result, the report calls for three-hour daily limit on tethering and a ban on using choke collars or chains to tether dogs. 

A beefed up set of dangerous dog bylaws is intended to complement provincial legislation which already makes dog owners liable for damages that result from bites or other attacks.

The report will be discussed at the Sept. 21 meeting of the city's Licensing and Standards department.