A Toronto family trying to breed rabbits was overrun with 80 of them. Now the city's cracking down

If you're thinking of breeding rabbits and guinea pigs, or feeding wild animals, or you're just a dog owner who scoops your pooch's poop every day, then you'll want to know about a new set of rules the City of Toronto is considering.

After two years of study, municipal licensing staff are recommending sweeping changes to parts of the municipal code that concern animals. Getting special attention: the number of fast-breeding pets you'll be allowed to keep.

"Some people don't know if they've got boys and girls and when boys and girls are together, then you end up with many more," said Esther Attard, the director of Toronto Animal Services (TAS). She's also one of the contributors to a new report. 

"Guinea pigs and rabbits reproduce really quickly, and so you can end up with a lot ... more pets than you bargained for."

The suggested changes are based on proposals from city councillors, the public and city staff, Attard said. Councillors will take their first look at the proposals when the community development committee meets next month. Council will likely hold a final vote on the plan by the end of the year.

City staff are recommending each household be limited to four rabbits, or four guinea pigs. Why? Attard cites the example of one Toronto family who decided earlier this year to breed rabbits and sell them as pets. 

"It's a lot harder to do than you think," she said. "And so then they end up in a crisis."

What crisis is Attard referring to? Well, eventually, their home was overrun with 80 rabbits.

Haviva Porter, executive director of a group called Rabbit Rescue Inc., supports the limits. She says she hears similar stories to the one Attard described all the time.

"They thought they were the same gender, and all of a sudden, behold, there are a dozen baby bunnies," she said.

"Nothing can be done once you have a household with so many animals, so many rabbits that aren't being looked after properly. So limits are important." 

Another proposal would limit pigeon fanciers to 30 birds, except during breeding season, when they'll be allowed 50.

There's also a proposal for a blanket ban on the feeding of wildlife. Right now, it's only illegal to feed wild animals in city parks. The new rules will disallow the practice city-wide.

Last weekend, in Westlake Park, near Weston Road and Black Creek Drive, a coyote bit a child, prompting the city to warn residents not to feed wild animals — a practice Attard says leads to a lot of problems.

"It conditions wild animals to expect food from people. And then a person can have a bad interaction with a wild animal."

As well, staff are suggesting the city codify a practice that has long been tacitly allowed: pet cats and pigeons roaming the city freely.

But once that becomes law, the city will also require that city shelters stop accepting stray, nuisance cats. At present, felines that roam can be dropped off at the local city shelter by annoyed neighbours. It's then up to TAS to try to reunite the animal with its owner, which can be a long, complicated and sometimes fruitless task, she said.

Although she's generally supportive of the changes, Rabbit Rescue Inc.'s Porter says she's got some questions for councillors before the new rules are passed.

"What would happen in situations where really good owners have six rabbits? Are they going to be grandfathered in? Would they have to get rid of the rabbits when shelters or rescues are already full?" she said.

"I think there's a lot of concern that foster homes be exempt. Will shelters, pet stores be exempt? Who's going to be monitoring it and who's going to be enforcing it?"

The Municipal Licensing and Standards report includes a recommendation that three new bylaw officers be hired at a cost of $347,000 a year.

But Attard says she expects enforcement to be done in a measured way. For instance, she says people won't be banned from using backyard bird feeders provided excess feed doesn't spill over onto the ground where other animals, like rats, can get at it.

But she admits that enforcement could be difficult, when it comes to identifying individual bird feeders. 

Several other changes to the municipal code are also included in the report: Right now, dog owners have to remove excrement from their own property immediately. The report recommends that giving them 24 hours to get the job done is "a more realistic timeframe."

The report also suggests pledging support for any move by the province to ban cosmetic surgeries for pets — things like tail docking and ear cropping for dogs and declawing cats, Attard said.