Vancouver mulls crackdown on dangerous, annoying dogs

Animal Advocates Watchdog

WESTCOAST NEWS
Higher fines proposed for vicious dogs

Glenn Bohn
Vancouver Sun

July 7, 2005

VANCOUVER - Higher fines for vicious dogs, barking dogs and dogs with a taste for garbage are being proposed in Vancouver for the animal that is not always man's best friend.

City staff-recommended changes to existing bylaws include a $500 minimum fine for failing to muzzle a vicious dog and a $500 minimum fine for failing to keep a vicious dog securely confined.

The existing bylaw now makes owners pay at least $200 for those offences. In the neighbouring city of Burnaby, the fine for failing to muzzle is just $25.

No longer would specific breeds of dogs be mentioned in Vancouver's Animal Control Bylaw.

Instead, it would define a vicious dog as "a dog with a history or known propensity for very aggressive behaviour toward people or other domestic animals."

City policy analyst Alena Straka, whose recommendations go to a council committee July 14, notes in her report that many speakers at a meeting last February were opposed to laws that designated certain breeds as dangerous.

"It was felt that most dogs could be kind and loyal pets if raised in a caring and loving home environment," Straka wrote. "Singling out pit bull breeds under the existing 'vicious dog' definition is regarded as unfair, discriminatory and unnecessary."

But if those pooches aren't raised in a loving home, the city wants to get tougher. If the B.C. government agrees to a city request to amend the Vancouver Charter, the city would require microchips to be surgically implanted under the skin of city-declared vicious dogs.

If a vicious dog became a repeat offender, the city's animal control officers could electronically identify the dog, confirm they were dealing with the same problem animal, and impose stiffer fines. Veterinarians, who typically place a microchip under the skin of the dog's neck, charge about $50 for the procedure. An owner of a vicious dog would have to pay the bill.

Mark Takhar, the Vancouver manager of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the SPCA would like microchips implanted in all dogs, so lost and stray dogs can also be identified.

Takhar said a vicious dog would likely have to be captured and contained in order for someone to aim a hand-held scanner at a microchip on the dog's neck, but some animal shelters in Australia are already using metal detectors and scanners similar to the ones that airline passengers walk through at airports.

The city of Vancouver report suggested retinal imaging technology could also be used -- taking a photograph of the unique retina of a dog's eye.

gbohn@png.canwest.com

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DOG OWNERS TAKE NOTE

New $250 fines for owners of dogs that...

- Upset or break into garbage containers.

- Ride unsecured in an open truck bed.

- Bark or howl.

- Are not confined or isolated when it has a communicable disease.

- Are not left in a car with the windows up and inadequate ventilation, and other such confined areas.

Fines raised to the $500 minimum level for owners who...

- Fail to muzzle a vicious dog.