Surrey clamps down on dangerous dogs with higher fees and fines

Surrey city council has adopted a new animal control bylaw aimed at preventing vicious dog attacks and promoting responsible pet ownership.

Some of the key changes of the bylaw include fines ranging from $200 for failing to post a warning sign about a guard dog on a property to $1,000 for an unmuzzled, dangerous dog.

The bylaw also implements a new tiered system of registering dogs and a $500 annual licence fee for those deemed dangerous.

City officials say under the old bylaw a dog would have to physically attack someone before it could be deemed as dangerous, but they now have the ability to intervene when a dog is behaving aggressively before a bite or attack occurs.