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In local dog news
By cuzzy | April 20, 2007
Read this today in the Herald.
Speaker unleashes dog advice
Calgary animal bylaw director says better pets make for fewer problems
The best way for pet owners in Halifax Regional Municipality to get more off-leash areas is to have better dogs, says the City of Calgary’s director of animal and bylaw services.
“The less conflicts with dogs in the community, the less following and nuisance, the more people who are not dog owners in off-leash areas know we can be our own best friends,” Bill Bruce told a public meeting Thursday night at the Dartmouth Sportsplex.
Mr. Bruce is in town this week to meet with HRM staff, councillors and Mayor Peter Kelly to talk about how Calgary became Canada’s most pet-friendly city.
One man, who did not give his name, wants Halifax to try to utilize the parks it already has and set aside some time of the day to allow dog owners to walk their animals off leash.
Point Pleasant and Seaview are the only parks in Halifax with off-leash spaces for dogs. Dog owners can also let their dogs off their leashes on city sports fields from 6 to 10 a.m. between November and April.
“I live closer to the Frog Pond, or the Sir Sandford Fleming Park, and it’s got wonderful trails and big signs (that say) dogs are not to be off leash, but it’s just a wonderful, wonderful place to walk,” the man said. “And if I have to go to a place like Seaview to let my dog off and I can’t go back to the Frog Pond to let my dog have some exercise, it seems like it’s not totally fair, right.”
At the meeting, pet owners asked questions ranging from why Calgary decided to make cat licensing mandatory on Jan. 1, to how animal services manages coyotes in off-leash areas, and what education and training is required for their animal control officers.
Of Calgary’s 7,500 hectares of land, 1,000 hectares — four large regional dog parks and 200 smaller local ones — are designated off leash. Another 3,400 hectares, including playgrounds and sports fields, are off limits to dogs.
In those areas, dogs must be under control, in sight of their owner and return when called. Owners must also pick up after their dogs.
Calgary’s animal services department rakes in about $4 million a year in licensing and fines.
The city even has a responsible pet ownership bylaw that says cat and dog owners are responsible for licensing their pets and ensuring that they remain on the owner’s property or, when off the property, under the owner’s control.
“Calgary has one of the premier dog laws in North America,” said Cathy Prothro, another dog owner who lives just outside of Dartmouth. “Any municipality, city or town in this country could take a component of this law and it would work.”
Ms. Prothro would like to see the municipality bring in mandatory licensing and enforce it like Calgary does.
“It’s not like the man coming down on somebody. What it is (is) that if your dog is licensed and they pick it up, your dog is safe, they’re bringing it home to you.”
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Topics: Daily news, Lab Related, dog news, facts, info |
May 19th, 2007 at 1:58 am
for the past 10 days I have been trying to adopt an 8 yr old Male Miniature Pinscher that was impounded with the City of Calgary animal services.
There policy - When the dog is picked up by animal services they determine if the dog’s owners are identifiable. If so, they try to contact the owners for 10 days, and if unsuccessful, place the dog up for adoption (if all tests are passed - Vet and behavioral are passed). If the dog’s owners are not identifiable, the dog is placed for adoption within 4 days (if all tests are passed - Vet and behavioral).
This 8 yr old Min Pin was euthanized yesterday (the 11th day) because he failed their behavioral test (was high strung and snapped).
Anyone who has or knows of the Min Pin understands that these are very energetic dogs and that they have very strong personalities. I understand this … and I knew that whatever issues this dog may have, I would be able to manage them.
I called the City of Calgary, Animal Services department a minimum of once a day every day, inquiring as to whether or not they had located his owners, and if not when he would be available for adoption, so obviously my interest .. and concern for his well being was understood. Every time I called I as told that “he is not yet available”. Yesterday I noticed that he was no longer on their website so I called .. again .. and this time I was told the he was no longer there and today I found out that he had been euthanized.
Taking a Dog out of their element, placing them with strangers, in a strange environment, with a million other stressed and anxious dogs is bound to effect how they behave, and expecting these animals to be calm and gentle is very unrealistic - so of course they could be somewhat aggressive - who wouldn’t be!!!
Lana
May 19th, 2007 at 2:07 am
that is terrible news, sorry to hear that.
October 27th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
How do I copyright my site?. How do I use a pic from other sites, if I hapened 2b blogging on something relating to that pics?.