DIDSBURY - Council has approved a consolidated animal control bylaw which includes new provisions to address nuisance and vicious dog complaints.
The move came by way of motion at the Dec. 12 regularly scheduled council meeting, held in person and on YouTube.
The Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw 2022-17 replaces the town's existing dog and cat bylaws. It was created by administration in cooperation with Town of Didsbury community peace officers and the manager of legislative services.
Penalties under the proposed new bylaw include mandatory court appearances for the owner of a vicious dog that attacks, bites or otherwise injuries any person.
Melissa Trotter is one of the town’s community peace officers and is in charge of animal control.
“The one thing people will probably notice with the new (bylaw) is us having the ability to have a dog deemed vicious,” Trotter told the Albertan. “In the previous bylaw we did not have the ability to deem a dog vicious.”
Section 83 of the bylaw states the town may designate an animal to be vicious and require the owner to obtain a vicious animal licence for such an animal in several cases, including:
• The animal has caused severe injury to a person, whether on public or private property.
• The animal has, while off its owner’s property, caused severe injury to another animal or the death of another animal.
• There are reasonable grounds to believe the animal poses a risk to the health and safety of persons in the town.
• The animal has engaged more than once in threatening behaviour such as charging or chasing a person, causing injury to a person through means of charging/chasing, or biting a person and/or another animal without injury.
For first offences, the bylaw includes a $1,500 fine for the owner of a vicious dog chasing a person, and a mandatory court appearance for the owner of a vicious dog that injuries, bites or otherwise attacks any person.
Under the bylaw the Town of Didsbury may also designate an animal to be a nuisance animal and require the owner to obtain a nuisance animal licence for such an animal where the animal has engaged in repeated threatening or aggressive behaviour, has been found to be running at large more than once, or repeatedly barks, howls or otherwise makes or causes noise which disturbs any person.
During the Dec. 13 council meeting, Coun. Bill Windsor asked why the new bylaw is 24 pages long when the town is trying to reduce red tape.
Chief administrative officer Ethan Gorner replied, “I appreciate the comments because we certainly like succinct and to-the-point bylaws but this is one area where you are involving things that will end up in the legal system and the courts.
“We got input from the local prosecutor in town who helped us with some of the things that he suggested need to be in here. So some of this red tape is because the legal system requires it.”
All council members attended the Dec. 13 council meeting.
