As many concerned residents in the Town of New Tecumseth are already aware, a new canine control bylaw is being put before council on June 2. This bylaw will have a significant impact on all dog owners in our area.

In the spring of 2007 I initially heard that a draft proposal for this bylaw was going to be worked on and, as someone who has been involved in dog training for over 20 years, I asked if I could join the committee being formed. I was accepted and attended the first meeting at the start of April 2007. The second meeting that I was informed of in May 2007 saw us joined by a local veterinarian as well as a representative from the Dog Legislation Council of Canada, who brought to the table a model bylaw from Calgary — a bylaw that has worked successfully now for over 15 years. After the second meeting,  the veterinarian and the representative from the Dog Legislation Council of Canada and I were all asked not to come back to any subsequent meetings.

We were informed at a later date that the suggested Calgary bylaw would not work for such a small township, and that through their research they determined that neighbouring townships have dog limits so it made sense for this township.

What the staff working group failed to realize was that this proven bylaw was not created and implemented in a day. They’ve also forgotten that just because someone else is doing it, doesn’t make it right and doesn’t mean it works.

One of the biggest impacts to dog owners if this new bylaw passes is that they will tell us how many dogs we can own - three in town and five out of town. What business is it of the town to decide how many dogs you have in your home if you are a responsible pet owner? If the problem is barking, there is already a noise bylaw in place for that sort of thing. If the problem is biting, there is a dangerous dog bylaw for that, and if it’s because of animal excrement, there is a bylaw for that too. So what would be the reason?

Under this proposal I could have three misbehaving great Danes in my backyard but not have four well-behaved Yorkshire terriers in my house.

The American Kennel Club, the Dog Legislation Council of Canada and the Canadian Kennel Club - the largest governing body of purebred dogs in Canada, all discourage limiting the number of dogs per household but do promote responsible pet ownership.

Another issue with this new bylaw is that anyone wanting to start a pet-related business will be required to own five acres. Yes, that’s right, five acres. In other words, New Tecumseth is essentially discouraging any new pet-related businesses opening up in town. What will we do when the older businesses have moved on or retired? New businesses will not be able to afford to open, and if they do they will get limited exposure being in the country.

If this bylaw passes, the town will have taken away people’s rights, but will still find they have not fixed any of the issues they have allegedly received complaints about. What next? Will they tell us how many cars we can park in our driveway, or what colour our house should be?

In this day and age we lose our rights as pet owners more and more every day. Soon we won’t be allowed to own pets at all. I am not against canine control bylaws that are effective and reward responsible people and punish irresponsible people. Yet there is no evidence of this in this draft proposal!  I urge everyone to speak out against this immediately. Please attend the council meeting June 2 to express your concerns about losing your rights.

Kim Peters,
Beeton