Nackwic, Canada - Working to remove BSL

A doggone solution in Nackawic?

Published Friday August 7th, 2009

Nackawic is one step closer to putting the leash on its controversial dog bylaw.

At Tuesday evening’s regular meeting, town council unveiled its proposed amendments with the first and second readings of its new dog bylaw, which would see “the vicious dog” classification given to canines based their actions and not by their breed.

Under the current bylaw, vicious and restricted dogs are deemed so by breed. Pit bull terriers, Rottweilers and mixed breeds of either are considered vicious and are subject to a $250 fee to keep them within town limits.

Many concerned residents have called the town’s current bylaw discriminatory to dogs and responsible dog owners, prompting council to review it and make some changes.

The issue all came to a head earlier this spring when Dr. Mary Ann Bramstrup went to town office to have her Rottweiler-mix companion Jessie registered.

Instead of paying $15 to have her dog licensed, which she had been paying previously for three years, Bramstrup said she was informed her four-legged friend was classified as a restricted breed, and she would have to pay $250 to keep her beloved pet in Nackawic.

Bramstrup said she was shocked and outraged.

“It’s racial profiling for dogs,” Bramstrup said. “I think it is a bad bylaw to have because it doesn’t address the real problem, which is dogs running loose (around town) and biting people.”

Acting chief administration officer Kathryn Clark said the bylaw had been in place for a while, but it was only recently enforced earlier this year after an incident involving a pit bull terrier in the town.

“From our dog catcher’s standpoint, he said ‘I will enforce it if the council will also enforce it,’” Clark explained earlier this spring. “So if we are going to enforce it for one, we have to enforce it for everyone.”

But throughout the spring and summer, council was continually bombarded by concerned residents who have voiced their opinion on the hot issue.

Many felt the town’s bylaw was unfair to responsible dog owners like Bramstrup, and residents like Murray McEwen and Don and Pat Degagne stepped forward in her defence.

Don Degagne said he couldn’t understand why the town would force a dog owner of certain breeds to pay a fine of $250 for owning a “vicious dog.”

Any dog can be vicious regardless of the breed, he pointed out, and it is not the dog fault for being aggressive but the people who raise it.

“They are not born this way,” Don said. “People train them that way. This bylaw is wrong, and it discriminates against good people and responsible dog owners.”

They asked council to review the dog bylaw and come up with a fair solution to address the issue.

On Tuesday evening, residents’ concerns were addressed.

Under the proposed amendments, “a vicious dog” would be one which has a tendency to attack, has bitten, chases, without provocation, humans or other domestic animals or has a continuing threat to harm humans or other domestic animals.

Mayor Rowena Simpson said the revisions are the results of three extensive and long meetings council conducted over the issue. While council has moved ahead with the first and second reading of the proposed bylaw, she said it is still not set in stone.

Coun. Brian Grant said there has been a lot of research put into the new bylaw changes, but he still has gotten concerns from residents who feel the bylaw should stay as it is.
Coun. Paul Legere added he has received similar concerns.

“I have had some who want change, and others who don’t,” Legere said.

“They feel if we take it (the current bylaw) away, we will have other issues.”

Coun. Peter Seymour pointed out other municipalities are veering away from the certain breed classification in their dog bylaws and are focusing more on dogs who bite on a regular basis. The proposed amendments for Nackawic’s bylaw are following suit, he added.

Since residents’ feelings are all over on the topic, Mayor Simpson said the dog bylaw will not be finalized until the public has had its say.

“This is not any easy thing to do,” Simpson said. “It is something we need public input on, so we should have a public meeting on it.”

Once the public meeting is held, residents’ thoughts and opinions on the matter will be taken into consideration, Simpson said, and, hopefully, the town can put its dog days of summer to rest.