Vancouver Courier, Jan 1/03

Mastiff-Rottweilers impounded twice in last five years
Criminal charges considered in dog mauling

By David Carrigg
Staff writer
(excerpt)

Judy Stone, spokeswoman for Animal Advocates, has been lobbying city hall for several years to introduce a bylaw banning people from keeping dogs tethered or left alone in yards for long periods of time. Such dogs can become a danger when they get loose, because they’ve been “desocialized.”

In July 2001, however, Stone’s plea for an anti-tethering bylaw was rejected by council, which claimed it did not have the legal power to implement such a law. Currently, a dog can only be seized after it has attacked a person and been reported.

We’re always been concerned about the huge risk that these large-breed yard dogs pose to public safety,” said Stone. “This attack is so horrifying that media is publicizing it, but people are bitten by desocialized dogs all the time.”

Stone added that Animal Advocates recently received complaints about two young German shepherds and a pit bull chained and isolated in Vancouver yards.

“One is kept 24/7 on a six-foot tether, and one is kept 24/7 in a yard, when it isn’t boarded under a porch,” said Stone, adding one of the German shepherds has already been loose in the neighbourhood several times.

Stone said her group has warned the city it could be vulnerable to a lawsuit by a dog attack victim on the grounds that city officials did nothing about the known danger of desocialized yard dogs.

She urged the White family to sue the city, to force it to do something to protect dogs from the cruelty of isolation and citizens from the danger of desocialized yard dogs.
Robertson said the White family lawyer is considering legal action against the city.

Stone said she will hold COPE to its election promise to introduce a bylaw preventing the prolonged isolation of dogs in yards, pens or garages.