Since May of this year, there’s been at least one incident of a dog attacking and biting a person, one of a dog chasing a person, an animal being attacked, an animal being bitten and other animal related issues. Indeed, in July there were 11 animal related warnings or tickets handed out in town, compared to 18 the rest of the year. So it’s no wonder that animal control is a hot topic in town right now.
And it’s not just dogs. Councillor Gulick says the current bylaw is very prescriptive for dogs “I believe where ever the bylaw says ‘dog’ it should also say ‘cat.’ They are two different animals, but there’s a lot of the same conditions around there. There can be a dangerous cat. There can be a nuisance cat. I’d also like to see more enforcement. I’d like to see less opportunities for written warnings and just give out tickets.”
She said this at the most recent meeting of Council, where the bylaw was brought forth for discussion.
Director of Protective Services Dustin Curry—under whose auspices animal control falls—says dealing with cats is going to be hard. “The BC SPCA will not come to Tumbler Ridge, pick up cats and take them to Dawson,” he says. “The last time they came out was as part of a feral cat program. They came out, picked up the cats, spayed or neutered them, then dropped them back off in the exact same location they picked them up. But they don’t pick up problem cats and they don’t rehome them.”
Curry says that previous to his taking over the department, the District did undertake trapping of cats. “We bought cat traps, and rented them out to the public.” However, he says, this was controversial. “The BC SPCA was very against this, because there are very specific guidelines for trapping. You have to check the traps and you have to make sure the traps are humane. Now there’s all this extra stuff for the bylaw officer has to do. They work an eight hour day, set out two traps, then they have to go out for two hours in the evening to check the traps, or whatever it would look like to make sure the cats were being treated humanely.”
Curry also points out that most people react well to a written warning. “We have used education as the premise and we get a lot of compliance that way. We get 75 to 80 percent compliance just by handing out the bylaws. It’s just that 25 percent of repeat offenders which is why we’re talking about this today. Irresponsible pet owners that are non-compliant. At this point all we’re doing is fining, fining, fining them. We’re into thousands of dollars per fine, and it’s just the cost of doing business for these pet owners.”
Gulick says that another change she’d like to see is for the District to not return pets until they have a tag. “I’d like to see that before anyone gets an animal back, it has to have a tag. They don’t get the option. That animal does not get released until it gets a tag. I’d also like to see a fine for not having the tag. ‘Oh, the tag is at home.’ ‘Here’s a $20 fine for not having it on your pet.’ This just keeps becoming more and more of a problem. Our bylaw needs to be tightened up.”
Curry says that is possible, but there would have to be some discussion on how that happens. “It’s five o’clock and someone comes in to get their pet. We don’t have a point of sale. We don’t even have the tags. All those processes are handled through town hall. But I’m sure we can make it work.”
Currently, there are 18 licenced cats and 138 licenced dogs in town. That is a fraction of the total number of pets in town.
Recently, Jan Turner started an online petition to see stronger bylaw enforcement at change.org. In fact, she started it the day before the issue came before council. “I’m still going to continue with the petition, she says. “There is a copy of the petition at Home Hardware to sign, too,” she says.
While a lot of people have signed the petition, she says she still gets people saying that it’s not a problem here. “I think there are some streets in town that have a lot more problem animals than other streets, but it should be a issue for the whole town.”
She says she’s seen people try and circumvent the law by putting their dog on a leash, but then just letting the dog drag the leash.
A few months back, says Turner, there was another person who got bit by a dog. “When I see somebody else facing the same issue that I dealt with three years ago…really, why are we still here? It’s frustrating because this should have been dealt with.”
She say one of the big issues that she didn’t see addressed by Council is after hours enforcement. Currently, the Bylaw Enforcement Officer works 8-5 most days, but works 11-7 one day a week. Turner doesn’t think this is enough. “90 percent of the dog incidents or loose animal incidents are happening after hours.”
She says she’s also experiencing issues with cats urinating and defecating on her property, to the point where husband Dean had to install concrete under their front steps as the cats were using it as a litterbox. “I don’t understand why people let their cats wander in a town where there’s coyotes and bears.”
She says it feels like over the last few years, the District was hoping the problem would just solve itself, but that hasn’t happened. “How many attacks have happened and has the town been diligent in keeping this situation under control? I don’t think so. I bike now because I feel more safe riding than walking.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
