WESTCOAST NEWS
City wants to get tough with dangerous dogs
Staff calls on province to give municipalities more power to deal with problem pets

Krisendra Bisetty
Vancouver Sun

February 9, 2005

VANCOUVER - The City of Vancouver is proposing a crackdown on vicious dogs, calling for tighter regulations, an education campaign and higher fines for owners of dogs that attack people, but stopping short of an outright ban on pit bulls.

City staff also want the province to look into the feasibility of passing legislation to deal with vicious or dangerous dogs provincewide, including giving municipalities more effective and comprehensive powers.

The recommendations, contained in a report compiled by the office of the city's chief licence inspector, will go before councillors on Feb. 17.

It comes after several horrific attacks by vicious dogs in the Lower Mainland.

In 2002, Vancouver teenager Shenica White was attacked by two mastiff Rottweiler cross dogs as she and a friend were returning to a slumber party after walking a friend home. White had to have surgery to repair deep wounds to her face and scalp.

In December 2004, three-year-old Maple Ridge boy Cody Fontaine was mauled to death by three Rottweilers that were being kept inside a house.

The city's strategy also calls for increased enforcement, new penalties, such as for failing to control a vicious dog, and higher licence fees. Vicious dogs will also have micro-chips or tattoos to identify them as such and may have to be spayed or neutered, if the proposal wins council support.

"It's going to go a long way in dealing with problem dogs on the street," Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson said in an interview Tuesday.

The proposal will please a lot of people, except for those seeking a ban on pit bulls, said Stevenson, who will be urging other councillors to support it. "It has really struck a good balance."

After researching legislation and regulatory measures to protect people from dangerous dogs in other Canadian and international jurisdictions, the report says a ban on any new pit bulls in Vancouver would have limited effectiveness.

The city also has insufficient authority under the Vancouver Charter to address some of the key regulatory and enforcement issues involved if a ban is imposed.

Moreover, because pit bulls are difficult to identify, the implementation of a ban could be costly in both time and money and would be open to legal challenge, the report says.

A pit bull ban would also not address the concern over the proliferation of other large dogs with a vicious reputation.

While the city has no statistics on the number of resident pit bulls, it says the overall number of bitings for all dogs in 2004 was 181, a drop of 45 from the previous year.

Saskatchewan is the only Canadian province with province-wide dangerous dog legislation, although certain municipalities in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia have enacted pit bull bans.

In Vancouver, any of five pit bull breeds and cross breeds are automatically considered a vicious dog under the Animal Control ByLaw. Two bylaw regulations pertain specifically to vicious dogs, including the requirement for these animals to be muzzled when out in public and securely confined either indoors or in an enclosed pen when on private property.

Offenders are liable to a fine of not less than $200.

The new proposal would increase the fines to an unspecified amount. Owners would have to inform appropriate authorities of any change in the status of their dog that might affect public health and safety, including if it is on the loose, has attacked another animal or a human being or has died, been sold or given away. They would also be required to show proof of at least $1 million in liability insurance.

Stevenson said the report is a comprehensive one that will no doubt cost taxpayers money if its recommendations are implemented. But if the increased enforcement, education and tighter regulations lead to a decrease in attacks, it would be worth it, he said.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005