A public hearing is scheduled for June 12 in Mountain View County council chambers to consider a number of changes to the land use bylaw, including as it relates to commercial dog kennels.
The amendments received first reading on May 22.
Other amendments are also being considered for the animal control bylaw and the dog control bylaw. Those are also scheduled to come before council on May 22.
The proposed amendments to the land use bylaw include having the definition of kennel, commercial apply to facilities that breed, board, care and train small animals.
Other amendments include the following:
• Delete the land use bylaw definition of kennel and replace it with definition kennel, commercial.
• Kennel, commercial is proposed as a discretionary use within agricultural districts, country residential districts, residential farmstead district, local commercial district, industrial business park district, health industrial district, and airport district.
• An amendment to the definition of permitted use to add clarity that a permitted use with a relaxation of the district’s site regulations shall be a discretionary use.
Proposed changes to the dog control bylaw include adding to the regulation the definition of personal dog which is considered a pet or working dog that is the property of the person that resides on the property. The maximum number of dogs allowed without any approval depends on zoning and parcel size.
Other proposed amendments include the following:
• Add to the bylaw that any additional personal dogs may be applied for with a permit application under the bylaw.
• Add the provisions that identify the requirements to apply for an additional dog or dogs, including the ability of the applicant to appeal a decision to the review committee.
• Revisions to the manner in which dangerous dogs are defined and regulated within the bylaw and the removal of the restricted dog definition and references.
Bylaw No. 05/10 dog control defines a dangerous dog as one that “shows a propensity, disposition or potential to attack or injure other animals or humans, chases persons or other animals, has threatened or created a reasonable apprehension of a threat to any other animals or person or which presents a threat of serious harm to other animals or persons, or has injured, bitten or attacked persons or other animals.”
The bylaw requires owners of dangerous dogs to ensure that the animal does not chase, injure or bite any person, cause another animal to be in distress, chase, injure or bite another animal, or run at large.
Fines include $1,500 for allowing a dog to bite or injure a person.
The proposed amendments to the animal control bylaw and the dog control bylaw do not require a public hearing.
There are a total of 10 proposed amendments to the animal control bylaw, including removal of the regulation of personal and working dogs from the animal control bylaw and placing it within the dog control bylaw.
Other proposed amendments include the following:
• Provide clarification on livestock definition and how animal units are calculated.
• Reduction of chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese permitted within residential parcels depending on size.
• Allow for the provision of house livestock on a temporary basis in a land use district other than agricultural, in cases where a yard site is used for farming the surrounding agricultural lands.
• Add the requirement that at the time an application for a permit is submitted to the county, the applicant is to provide a copy of any instruments registered on a subject property’s land title.
The amendments include that “temporary housing of livestock for seasonal agricultural activities such as calving, gathering and sorting may be allowed with a permit within other districts (other that agricultural district) and the maximum allowable density of animals will be calculated in accordance with the length of time the animals are on the lands.”
The complete proposed amendments can be found on the county’s website.
