The town’s new proposed animal control and licensing bylaw now includes provisions to deal with farm animals and exotic pets and doesn’t include any provision to prohibit pitbulls and pitbull cross breeds.
Janette Van Vianen, the town’s director of corporate services, made a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council last week detailing proposed changes to the existing bylaw.
Staff brought a first draft of a new proposed animal control bylaw in early December of 2015 and council directed changes be made.
“It is now being brought forward for further review,” said Van Vianen.
The town currently has a dog control and cat control bylaw, but there are not any provisions for regulating other animals, she said.
At the meeting in 2015, council requested staff remove reference to prohibited breeds of dogs and instead concentrated on regulating them instead, she said.
“This has been done in this new draft,” she said. “The proposed new bylaw does, however, list certain dogs as restricted as we have continually had difficulties, especially with dog attacks by specific breeds and they appear to be on the increase over the past two years.”
There have been 19 confirmed incidents of dogs biting people in Osoyoos in the last two years and nine of those were by pitbulls or pitbull cross breeds, she said.
Language in the bylaw states any restricted dog that is anywhere else other than on lands or premises owned or occupied by the dog owner must be muzzled and on a leash to prevent it from biting another animal or human, she said.
“This is the same wording as in the previous bylaw and it is recommended that this remain in the new bylaw to mitigate further attacks,” she said.
The provincial government in Ontario banned pitbulls and several pitbull cross breeds more than a decade ago.
The current municipal government in Montreal recently made headlines by passing a bylaw that prohibits pitbulls and numerous pitbull cross breeds.
Last year, council rejected any proposal from staff that would introduce breed specific legislation of dogs in this community.
Coun. C.J. Rhodes said banning certain breeds of dogs would lead to a “slippery slope” and would upset many local residents.
Rhodes said he did his homework and discovered that the number of dog attacks in jurisdictions that ban pitbulls and other dog breeds that are considered dangerous does not diminish once breed specific legislation is introduced.
The serious incidents in Osoyoos over the past several years, however, does indicate there is a need for owners to muzzle their dogs and keep them on a leash at all times whenever they’re not on the property of their owner, said Van Vianen.
The list of wild, exotic and prohibited animals now listed in the proposed bylaw was researched by staff by reviewing other municipal bylaws within B.C. and other provinces and is now similar to the bylaw adopted by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), she said.
Other than as permitted for agricultural land use within the town, no owner would be allowed to keep more than two dogs or two cats over six months of age, more than four budgies, canaries, parakeets or other tropical breed of bird and such birds must be kept indoors or in a cage at all times, she said.
Homeowners can’t have more than four gerbils, hamsters or domestic rodents and such rodents must be kept indoors or in a cage at all times.
No owner can have more than one amphibian, reptile or non-venomous snake and they must be kept indoors and in a secure enclosure at all times.
Animal control officers will maintain a log book that will record the description of every animal impounded, name of the person who impounded the animal, time and location of the impoundment and fees owing and manner of disposal of the impounded animal.
The proposed animal control bylaw is available for viewing on the town’s website.
Council is expected to discuss the proposed changes to the animal control bylaw at its next meeting scheduled for Monday, Oct. 17.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
