Town to consider changes to annual dog licensing

How often dog owners have to get a licence for their dogs is being looked at after council approved several recommendations regarding the animal control bylaw at Thursday night’s meeting.
As it stands right now, dog owners are supposed to get a licence for each of their dogs each year. But this has not proven to be especially popular with only a little over 20 dogs licensed in a town with hundreds of canines.
Couns. Sharon Tibbs, Rick Wiedenhoeft and Andrew Hallikas stated they’d like to see the town sell animal licences on a one-time basis (one licence per dog for its lifespan) as opposed to the current system which see pet owners having to buy one licence per pet which has to be renewed each year, (It should also be pointed out the current licensing runs on a January to December schedule, so that everyone renews them when a new year starts, and not necessarily 12 months from when they first purchase a licence. For instance, if a dog owner buys a licence in July, they have to renew it in January.)
Coun. Tibbs said she’s talked to many dog owners who don’t have dog licences, and the reason the owners give for not having them is the fact they have to get them each year.
She added that from a revenue point-of-view, dog licensing isn’t a big money maker, and it should simply be a matter of owners registering their dog once, giving the town the dog’s name and description, getting a non-transferable licence and leaving it at that.
Coun. Tibbs also said that most dog owners are very conscientious, and if their canine companion is picked up and put in the pound, they call the town before the town even gets a chance to call them.
She noted a previous council had drawn up the last animal control bylaw in 1979, and this council is empowered to chance it if they so chose. “I think it’s doable. I think the people that want to follow the rules, that want to do things right, would appreciate this. I think it’s worth a try,” said Coun. Tibbs.
Coun. Wiedenhoeft recalled that while his discussions with bylaw enforcement did not see them in favour of a one-time dog licensing fee, he personally would like to see it as it would encourage more of the public to register their dogs.
After agreeing they did not want to refer the matter back to the Planning and Development executive committee for a third time, council directed administration to investigate the pros and cons of one-time licensing versus the current system. Mayor Roy Avis said Coun. Tibbs had a good idea, but added that council shouldn’t act too soon before administration has a chance to look at the implications of changing how licensing works.
Clerk Glenn Treftlin noted that while a one-time fee for dog licenses was “not a bad concept” and warranted further investigation, council should realize that there always are costs to be covered. For example, if a dog is found at large and a bylaw officer has to go through files to check out the licence history of a particular animal, and then make phone calls, that costs money.
“You do that a number of times a year, that takes time, and there’s a cost to the municipality because the bylaw officer isn’t somewhere else doing some other bylaw enforcement job,” he said.
Other recommendations in relation to the animal control bylaw include:
•That the clerk make the necessary language and outdated reference corrections to the bylaw (including a clarification of the term “kennel”);
•That the clerk advise council as to the legalities of including in the bylaw the use of electronic anti-barking collars; and
•that the Planning and Development division/bylaw enforcement department run a series of media ads to address public awareness issues (such as licensing, dogs running at large, cleaning up after your dogs, etc.) The town already has begun running ads regarding this in the past few weeks.
An amended version of the bylaw will come forward for a vote at a future council meeting.
The agenda also included a presentation by local resident Randy Thoms regarding the current animal control bylaw. Thoms said he reviewed the bylaw as well as animal control bylaws from Kenora, Dryden and Thunder Bay, and found Fort Frances’ to be the best among them all the way it is.
Thoms added that he agreed with the town doing more education regarding cleaning up after dogs and licensing, and he would like to see more pets licensed—after all, only 22 dogs are currently licensed in the Town of Fort Frances—and would support a one-time licence if it would encourage more pet owners to get their animal licensed.
He said he does not think the town should consider limiting the number of pets per household, as many multi-dog families do their research before getting each new dog, and treat them well. After all, 99 percent of animal control complaints have to do with one dog treated poorly by its owner, not multi-dog families.
If the town wants to look at homes with too many pets, they need to look no further than some residences in town Thoms knows of which house 14 and even 50 cats.
On that same note, Thoms stressed pet owners have to be responsible and have their pets spayed or neutered.
Thoms also stressed that if council is looking at the possibility of electronic anti-barking collars, they should seek expert advice, as those types of devices are not universally approved of by experts in the field and could in fact harm dogs if used improperly.
Also at Thursday night’s meeting, council:
•heard a verbal update from clerk Glenn Treftlin regarding “Local Government Week” which runs Oct. 19-25;
•approved amendments to the licensing bylaw to accommodate provisions as may be necessary to control the type, uses and location of “transmodal containers.” This amended bylaw will be prepared for a vote at a future council meeting;
•agreed to the recommendation of the Administration and Finance executive committee to receive a Memorandum of Understanding letter dated Aug. 6, 2008, and to recognize the importance and contribution of the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s function and to continue to work collectively and independently on projects for the protection, advancement and improvement of the Town of Fort Frances;
•agreed to the recommendation of the Administration and Finance executive committee to approve an advertisement in the NW Ontario Vacation Guide Map at a cost of $520 plus GST;
•agreed to the recommendation of the Administration and Finance executive committee to approve the Northwest Ontario’s Sunset Country Travel Association membership request in the amount of $1,513 plus GST, and further that the current promotional information be forwarded to the RRFDC for updating;
•approved applications for tax adjustments for 27 properties at Erin Crescent;
•referred a joint request from Murray and Linda Snider and Philip and Carmen Williamson re: purchase of land to the Planning and Development executive committee for recommendation; and
•passed bylaws to amend Official Plan Bylaws No. 7/98 and 8/98 (528 Second St. East) to allow for the construction of a new Robert Moore School.