Triena Greener (right) and her daughter Chelsey play with their dogs Kaiser, Peanut, Shadow and Shasta in the backyard of their Spartan Street home. The family is fighting a bylaw enforcement order stating they have 30 days to get rid of two dogs. They were singled out because someone complained. Lyonel Doherty photo
A local resident is calling Oliver’s Animal Control Bylaw “draconian” because the Town is forcing her to get rid of one of her dogs.
Ivy George previously made a plea to council to allow her to keep a third dog on her premises. The bylaw only allows two dogs per property.
George explained that the dog in question, a beagle named “Nelson,” belongs to her daughter in Calgary. George noted it would be detrimental to her health if Nelson was not allowed to remain in her home.
But council has given her a deadline of June 1 to get rid of the beagle. As a result, George intends to relocate Nelson to Alberta.
“No words can express how disappointed I am that council couldn’t make an exception to this draconian bylaw,” George wrote in a letter to the Town.
“This has been an exhausting and upsetting experience, proving you can’t fight town hall, and decent people don’t win.”
Councillor Jack Bennest said council has granted George plenty of time to comply with the bylaw.
“I don’t like it, but it’s one way to show the audience that we are not draconian and that you can talk to city hall.”
Bennest said if council allows people to have three dogs, you will have residents requesting to have four or five dogs on their property.
But Triena Greener said council needs to “bend the rules a bit” to accommodate dog owners in Oliver.
The dog lover on Spartan Street has found herself in the same boat as George, who was the victim of a neighbour’s complaint.
Greener has four dogs, but someone complained to the Town about it. Now she’s up against the same wall with council.
“I’ve had four dogs for 10 years in Oliver, and no one said anything (until now).”
Greener explained to council that she currently owns two dogs, while the other two on her property are owned by her son and daughter. She said one of the dogs was rescued from a neglectful situation on Sawmill Road.
She noted the dogs are kept in a fenced yard and do not get out. They are also neutered and have all of their shots, she pointed out.
“I don’t want to get rid of any because they are family pets,” Greener appealed to councillors.
The woman noted she looked into getting a kennel licence (until she has two dogs) but found out she wasn’t permitted because of the zoning.
Municipal Manager Tom Szalay confirmed this, saying kennels are not allowed in residential areas.
Greener told the Chronicle that her dogs are part of the family, like her own children. She said her dogs don’t roam the streets or cause any problems (they are kept in the house from 10 pm to 7 am).
Greener is so compassionate for her dogs that she even keeps their ashes in urns when they die.
She believes the current bylaw is unfair because there are many people who have more than two dogs on their premises, yet they are not subject to the bylaw. She cited one example of a property near Eastside Grocery that harbours about 15 dogs.
Bottom line: Greener wants to keep her dogs, and she will fight Town hall to do it. She has 30 days to remove two of the dogs, and is questioning why the Town is giving George four months.
Greener likens the Town’s decision to breaking up a family. She can’t bear the thought of giving two dogs away or putting them down. The other option is moving out of Town, she noted.
Mayor Ron Hovanes said he didn’t have the solution, noting it’s a “tough situation” but the Town has to stick to the bylaw.
The mayor pointed out that animal control enforcement is based solely on complaints.
“We don’t have people looking, but if someone calls us, we send the bylaw officer out there.”
Hovanes said council agreed to give George nearly five months to find a solution, but that doesn’t mean it will give everyone five months.
Councillor Dave Mattes said they have to look at each case individually before making a decision.
Bennest said there has to be a certain arbitrary nature to the bylaw, but it’s not draconian, he reitereated.
Greener said the complaint about her dogs has nothing to do with noise, only the fact she has more than permitted.
She too reiterated that she will fight for her dogs before getting rid of any.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
