The regional district wants to update its animal control regulations by consolidating the rules into a new bylaw. Richard McGuire file photo
The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen is looking to clarify its animal control regulations by introducing one bylaw to consolidate several overlapping ones currently dictating animal control regulations.
Bylaw Enforcement Coordinator Roza Aylwin explained that the district’s current animal control bylaws need to be updated, and that staff thought it made more sense to consolidate them into a new bylaw than update redundant ones.
At the same time, the board of directors now have a chance to debate the merits of creating a dog-specific bylaw, similar to bylaws several nearby districts already have.
The board of directors debated the details of the possible new bylaw Feb. 11, after staff brought the issue to the table.
According to Area C Director Terry Schafer, there was “much discussion about whether the new bylaw should be just a dog bylaw … and whether ostriches and emus should be included.”
The discussion was just a preliminary step in the process of creating a new bylaw, and after its discussion the board instructed Aylwin to conduct more research and bring a proposed bylaw back in the near future.
Aylwin said she will investigate the possibility of folding sheep and emus into the future bylaw, but her real hope is that it will introduce “clearer restrictions in the control of aggressive dogs.” She said she would like to see three clearly defined categories for problematic dogs, each with different restrictions for their care.
A dog that has shown undue aggression towards people or other pets would be classified as “aggressive.” If that tendency of aggression continued it would be classified “vicious,” and if it bit somebody it would be classified “dangerous.”
Aylwin said she hopes to “put in some restrictions on how aggressive, vicious, and dangerous dogs are kept on the property, how they are kept when they are out for walks,” and restrictions on kennelling.
“But in the end it all depends on what the public and the directors want, and the direction I’m given,” she said.
Aylwin said she has heard concern from some residents that a dog bylaw might unfairly target guard dogs, and made a point of saying that would not be the case.
“An aggressive, dangerous or vicious dog has to be that way without provocation. So if somebody is trespassing on your property, or they break in, or they’re stealing stuff and your dog is protecting the property, and bites that intruder, then it may not be deemed as aggressive or vicious, depending on the circumstances,” she said.
“A dog defending property against predators or security issues is only doing its job,” Schafer added.
Aylwin said it will likely be a few weeks before she returns to the board of directors with a proposal, and that if the directors accept it, the public will have a chance to weigh in before anything is passed into law.
She guessed a new animal control bylaw probably wouldn’t be implemented until 2017.
By Trevor Nichols
