A couple whose dog was killed after four dogs escaped their yard attended an Aug. 26 Olds council meeting to express their pain and frustration over the incident. They urged council to immediately change bylaws to prevent it from happening again to anyone else.
Trevor and Rhonda Dodd's dog Jake was killed at about 7 p.m. Aug. 3 while in his own pen by at least three of four dogs that had reportedly escaped from a fenced yard several blocks away.
Rhonda warned that "someone is going to die" unless changes are made to town bylaws to prevent any such incidents from happening in the future.
Councillors and administrative staff sympathized with the Dodds but said they can't amend the town's Land Use and Community Standards bylaws right away.
They noted a review of both bylaws has coincidentally already been underway for months and said the revisions will take time because they want to obtain legal advice on any proposed changes to ensure the revised bylaws can't be challenged in court.
The proposed revised bylaws are expected to come back to council later this fall. Councillors said the Dodds will be invited back to council when that happens.
About 20 people packed the gallery in council chambers to provide support to the Dodds. Some went up to the podium to raise similar concerns. The discussion lasted 49 minutes.
Community services director Doug Wagstaff told council that the Town of Olds has declared three of the dogs involved in the Aug. 3 incident as vicious under the Community Standards Bylaw.
"As today is the first day that they have surpassed their appeal period to be deemed vicious, we are continuing with the investigation and the town is continuing to work with its legal advice on all options available to the municipality under both legislation and bylaws," Wagstaff said.
He said one of the dogs had been euthanized by its owner. It's been said that dog had attacked the owner's girlfriend when they responded to the attack on the Dodds' dog, Jake.
Wagstaff said the two other dogs involved in the incident are no longer in Olds but when pressed by Rhonda Dodd he did not say precisely where they are. Rhonda expressed skepticism that the one dog had actually been euthanized.
"I don't know that that dog has been euthanized. I have no proof. Nobody will provide me proof," she said.
She also claimed the owner of the dogs still had at least one dog in his house but that was not confirmed during the discussion.
Rhonda said since Aug. 16 no one from the town has contacted her to update her in regard to the incident.
"We want to keep our community safe," Rhonda said. "We happen to love this town, been here a long time. It saddens me that we have to come to town council and ask for public safety.
"I have barely been off my back deck since this happened because I don't know the whereabouts of these dogs. You people seem to know where, but I don't. That gives me no comfort.
"My grandkids cannot play in the backyard. Nobody's kids should be in the backyard at this point; I can tell you that much," she added.
Council voted to accept the input from the discussion as information.
After that discussion, the Albertan asked the Dodds if they felt council had listened to their concerns.
"I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that changes will be made in this town," Rhonda said.
"Trevor and I plan to keep on it, watch what the town does, make sure that they are staying on task, because we realize it's going to take time. But we need them to move on it, not put it on the back burner, and that's my biggest fear."
