It’s all Rover in pet stakes as dogs lead way
Cowtown is quickly becoming Dogtown.
The city’s latest census shows the number of canine companions registered in Calgary has soared to more than 135,000, making for more than one pooch for every 10 Calgarians.
But pet ownership in the city isn’t necessarily purring along.
The same data shows registered cats have plummeted to lows not seen in more than 20 years, dropping to just over 70,000.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said because the data is linked to licensing, the most likely explanation for the growing rift between cats and dogs is fewer people renewing their cat licences, despite the fact it is mandatory in Calgary.
“We probably need to do a little bit of work around compliance with licensing and ensure people are reporting their cats,” he said.
“We should make sure people understand the benefits of having their cats registered.”
Under city bylaws, cat owners are required to renew their pet’s licence every year. Cats over six months old that have not been spayed or neutered cost $35, while altered cats and kittens younger than six months cost $17.
Failure to comply with the bylaw could land pet owners a $250 fine.
Registered cat ownership reached a peak of 91,551 in 2010, three years after council passed a controversial bylaw that made cat licensing mandatory.
The vast majority of cats that wind up at the Calgary Humane Society are unlicensed, making it difficult to reunite them with their owners, said a shelter spokesperson.
Dog ownership has continued to rise in Calgary, according to census data, going from 71,884 in 1985 to nearly double that number this year. Licences for dogs over six months of age that have not been spayed or neutered cost $60 ($37 for altered dogs), rising to $103 or $260 respectively for nuisance and vicious animals.
Southeast Calgary’s Ward 12 saw the highest level of both dog and cat ownership, with 16,813 canines registered compared to 6,723 felines.
The fewest dogs were registered in inner city Ward 8 with 6,801, while the city’s far northeast had the fewest cat licences, with just 2,950.