SPCA happy with new pet bylaw

For SPCA manager Debbie Lehner, it’s a compromise that everyone can agree with and still delivers the message to pet owners that getting a pet fixed is the right way to go.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the dogs that come in here are not fixed,” she said. “If they were fixed, it would deter a lot of them from wandering and leaving the home. There’s also health issues. There’s aggression where they become quite dominant.

“It’s just the way to the future – it’s just a really good responsible pet owner that would do it.”

About 1,000 pets get a license each year. Not only does it register the animal with the city, but owners get a “get-out-of-pound” credit, where they can pick up their lost dog and have the pound fees waived.

“When they arrive here, if they’ve got their collar and tag on, we can bring up that tag number, phone the owner and they can come immediately and pick up their pet,” she said.

“We get a lot of dogs in here and if the owner hasn’t phoned to report it missing, we have no way of knowing who to return that animal to.”

If an owner has a pet without a license and it runs away, they risk a city bylaw ticket and, if it ends up at the SPCA, there’s a $50 impounding fee plus $12 for each additional day it stays in the facility.

After three days, the animal becomes the property of the SPCA and to retrieve an animal, regular adoption fees would apply.

The pet license fees are just a small part of the larger Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw. In addition to changing the fees, it increases many fines associated with irresponsible pet ownership.

The principle behind the new bylaw is that animal control issues start with owners, not the animals.

adesouza@panow.com

by Andrew de Souza

SPCA happy with new pet bylaw

What's Trending