City looks to add bite to dog bylaw

City of North Vancouver council stopped short of banning vicious dogs Monday, but made no bones about its intention to beef up bylaws to deal with cruel canines and irresponsible dog owners.

Council took District of North Vancouver resident David Hughes advice Monday night, adding his suggestions to the discussion of changes to the city's dog bylaw.

Hughes is the owner of a cat that was attacked and killed in front of family members Christmas Eve by three on-the-loose pit bull terriers with a documented history of aggressive behaviour and unsupervised access to the community.

"Our goal in coming here is to trigger some awareness of irresponsible dog owners and to suggest some attachments to the dog bylaw," Hughes told council.

Hughes said he wants pit bulls specifically identified as vicious within the bylaw. He said while he supports higher licensing fees for vicious dogs, he wants mandatory training for owners of vicious dogs, a mandatory spay or neuter program to stem aggressiveness and discourage profit through breeding, and an owner requirement to carry liability insurance.

Hughes told council he wants full accountability on the part of vicious dog owners and compliance to regulations.

"We all know there are great dog owners that play by the rules, even with dogs that are deemed vicious," said Hughes. "It's unfortunate that a small percentage of these owners are irresponsible and don't feel they need to comply with bylaws."

Under the proposed new bylaw both the RCMP and bylaw enforcement officers can confine a dog they deem vicious.

Currently the city contracts out its animal control to the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The nearest branch is located at 1205 East Seventh Ave. in Vancouver. The SPCA does not provide 24-hour patrol to the city, whereas the RCMP do.

While the SPCA responded well on the day his cat was attacked, Hughes said he wants to know how animals with a documented history of complaints are out roaming free.

A lack of manpower hampers the efforts to enforce bylaws within the city, said Hughes. The city and the district need to work together on this issue, he said.

The district maintains its own animal control through the North Vancouver Animal Welfare Shelter.

After the attack, all three dogs - including an adult male and female and a puppy - were taken to the SPCA's Vancouver shelter. In a strange turn of events, the pit bull puppy was later stolen from the shelter and has not been found.

The two adult dogs were transferred to the North Vancouver Animal Shelter, while animal control officers investigated the attack.

The female dog was later destroyed. The dogs' owners were also fined $250 for allowing their animals to run loose.

Despite an 800-signature petition in support of not returning the dogs to their owners presented to council and sent to the SPCA and the district's shelter, the shelter returned the adult male to its owner Jan. 13 without notification to the neighbourhood, said Hughes.

Proposed changes to the bylaw will require owners of vicious dogs to have the animals penned on their property, with signage posted that a vicious dog resides at that address. The property must be fenced.

Impound fees for vicious dogs will be as high as $1,000 for a third offence.

Coun. Bob Fearnley said he preferred a ban to penning vicious animals.

"I look at the definition of a vicious dog and I wonder why the hell we would want something like that in the city," said Fearnley.

While it is an extreme step, Fearnley said a ban is an improvement over penning already aggressive animals in small spaces.

"We're not talking about a dog bylaw but a dog owner bylaw," said Coun. Craig Keating. "That's what we need to keep our eye on."

The debate over whether pit bulls are vicious by nature or nurture is not the issue, said Keating.
Owner responsibility is the issue, he said. "Owners need to know public safety comes first," said Keating.

Coun. Pam Bookham said a ban wouldn't be enforceable. She said she preferred owner education and enhanced bylaw enforcement instead.

Coun. Sam Schechter said instead of dismissing the idea of a ban he wants an informed debate about it.

Council agreed to discuss a ban after city staff prepare a report on the matter.
It also wants to discuss aligning animal control services with the district.

Heidi Castle
newsroom@nsnews.com