REGINA — Regina dog owners gave their takes on the proposed changes to the city’s animal bylaw.
The changes were presented at Regina’s executive committee on Wednesday to manage dangerous animals in the community.
SaskToday caught up with several owners at the Cathy Lauritsen Memorial Off-Leash Dog Park.
Dog leashing
The city is aiming to strengthen language requiring dogs to be leashed in public, except in designated off-leash parks where they can be controlled by voice. The previous wording allowed for physical and verbal control of an animal in public.
Dog owner David Kiznel feels that how an animal is controlled should be up to the owner.
“I know lots of dog owners that have well-behaved dogs that listen to their owners and [they] just take [them] on their property.”
Fellow dog owner Carl Amundson feels the proposed change is “ridiculous.”
“I play fetch a lot with my dog at the regular park, and I just think … the dog’s not going to be on the leash when I play fetch. I’m not going to drive all the way to the dog park for that.”
However, one dog owner who wished to remain anonymous said the change is needed for safety.
“It’s a need for pet safety and for children.”
Identification
If approved, animal owners will be required to show identification if a designated officer is in the process of issuing a ticket.
Identification is considered the owner’s name on either the animal licence account or the animal’s microchip or tattoo registration.
Kiznel said this could create confusion among animal owners.
“I’m not sure if people will always have identification or know what that would be considered.”
Amundson said this would potentially cause issues for him.
“I don’t think I have proof that I own my dog, so yeah, I think it would be a problem.”
Meanwhile, the anonymous owner worried that people who purchase pets online would be impacted.
“I’d be a little concerned because where do you get that information if you’ve just bought your pet on Kijiji.”
Any owner who cannot provide identification will be fined $100 on the first conviction, $150 on the second conviction, $200 on the third conviction and subsequent convictions established by the court on the fourth conviction.
Following court orders
Regina city councillors noted the current bylaw doesn’t take preventative measures for animal owners who don’t follow interim orders while a case with their animal is pending a court decision.
Lindsay West of the Regina Humane Society, during her delegation on Wednesday, said: “Maybe there is a possibility that there is a provision in the bylaw that if you’re not following those orders, then you’re relinquishing your right to owning the pet, so the pet can be taken into care.”
Kiznel said he agrees with the idea to an extent.
“If you’re not willing to take care of your property and just have it [the dog] run without your permission outside your fence line [that would cause an issue], then I could see the idea of removing ownership.”
Amundson believed an animal owner should be pressured to lose responsibility for the animal if they aren’t following the set orders.
Better practices by owners
Ensuring dogs don’t become aggressive is widely agreed to depend on the care of their owners.
“People should be trained on handling pets, especially if they’re adopting from the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). That would definitely be a core thing I would like,” noted Kiznel.
The anonymous dog owner said ensuring a dog has time to roam outside daily is key.
“It’s a good thing to have physical health to be looked after in order to maintain our mental health. And if you just see the same environment every day, it’s like being in a prison. And dogs are worse than us; they need more exercise. So I find it just takes all the aggression away.”
The proposed changes to the animal bylaw could be implemented next week, pending council’s approval.
City administration also said a review of the bylaw will be reported on a yearly basis.
