|
|
|
Alderman calls for toughened dangerous dog
bylaw (Calgary, Canada)
Alderman calls for toughened dangerous dog bylawUPDATED: 2007-08-03 15:21:16 MSTBy SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
Dangerous dog breeds living in Calgary should be identified and flagged to
prevent attacks on humans, says an alderman who fears a recent court ruling
may force the city to review its Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw.
Ald. Helene Larocque said a ruling by a justice of the peace
Thursday, which raised concerns the city’s existing bylaw prevented
him from ordering a dog who attacked a postal worker destroyed, has
renewed her belief that the city needs to do
more to identify potentially deadly breeds and enact tougher
restrictions to curtail future attacks.
“Maybe it’s time to look at the bylaw based on this decision
— clearly if the judge saw a problem with the bylaw it may
need a second look,” she said.
“What it comes down to is we need to ensure any
worker who goes on to a property to do a job, they
need to know if there’s a dangerous dog on that
property.”
Justice of the Peace Mal Brown said a
21-month-old mastiff-cross that bit a
Calgary postie June 19, an attack that
required 13 stitches to his arm, should be
declared a vicious animal but the city’s
bylaw restricted him from ordering the dog
destroyed.
Larocque, who after the attack by
the dog named Rosco called for
changes to the city’s bylaw, said
she believes
certain breeds with a dodgy track
record should face a number of
restrictions if owners want to keep
them.
She
said people who wish to own
some aggressive breeds
should have to put signs up
on their property warning of
the dog and other
safeguards, including
muzzling the dog in public.
Dogs branded with the
current vicious animal
designation have to be
muzzled, kept on a one-metre
leash in public, locked
in a secure pen if in
the backyard, must wear
special tags and see any
fines quadrupled.
City bylaw boss
Bill Bruce said
while he
believes the dog
should have been
destroyed,
he doesn’t
believe there’s
any problem with
the bylaw and
singling
out certain
breeds is
ineffective.
“There’s
no
question
in my
mind
(the
dog)
shouldn’t
be put
back out
in the
public,”
he said.
“We
believe
all
dogs
can
and
will
bite
—
the
issue
is
who
has
control
of
the
dog.”
Bruce noted last year there were only 200 dog bite complaints for about 105,000 dogs in Calgary, a number that has declined from some 2,000 attacks 20 years earlier.
There are around 500 pit bulls, a breed often singled out as highly dangerous, registered in Calgary but Bruce noted there were only eight incidents involving that breed last year.
He added past prosecutions haven’t indicated any problems with the city’s bylaw and he
doesn’t expect the ruling will pose any future difficulties.
|
|
|