The City of Medicine Hat is taking a tougher stand against vicious dogs and their owners as part of their aims of a comprehensive new anime ownership bylaw.
The bylaw was first read Monday August 17th, 2009 came about from a dog attack in 2008 where a small dog was killed and a woman lost part of her finger.
This new bylaw will give enforcement officers the ability to declare a dog is vicious based on their own investigation, taking out the lengthy court process. Of course, dog owners do have the ability to appeal.
The proposed bylaw has a lot of other animal issues, ranging from cleanliness to animal welfare.
The issue of cleanliness is being adjusted so that there is an increased fine for owners who fail to pick up after their dog and not carrying a bag when walking their dog.
Another issue addressed in the bylaw is that you are not allowed to have your dog tied up in your yard if no one is home. This is to cut down on excessive barking and instances where the dog becomes tangled up, resulting in an injury.
The bylaw does raise license fees for pets; it introduces the idea of a one-time lifetime license fee.
Before this bylaw is passed by the council, there are plans to hold a number of focus group meetings with interested parties such as the SPCA, local veterinarians, and the Save Old Souls rescue agency.
Glen Chapman
Broker of Record with Club “100″ GMAC Real Estate
www.club100realestate.com
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