New Montreal bylaws regulate dangerous dogs, ban calèches
All pets must Be neutered By 2020; only shelter pets sold At pet stores
Montreal’s calèches will be a thing of the past and dogs that display aggressive behaviour could be classified as potentially dangerous under two bylaws unveiled Thursday.
The long-awaited pet-control law — replacing a ban on pit bulls that Montreal repealed in December — “is based on the best practices in animal control,” said Craig Sauvé, the associate councillor responsible for animal control.
The calèche bylaw will come into effect Dec. 31, 2019, which gives the industry time to adjust, said Sauvé, adding that the city is open to alternatives like electric calèches or rickshaws.
Rather than targeting specific breeds, the regulation on dogs will enable the city to be more proactive and identify animals that could pose a threat to public safety, Sauvé said at city hall.
The city’s executive committee approved the two draft bylaws on Wednesday and city council will adopt them at the end of August.
Former mayor Denis Coderre’s administration passed the pit bull ban in October 2016, after 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais was mauled to death in her Pointe-aux-Trembles backyard by a neighbour’s dog.
City officials said Thursday that 37 per cent of the approximately 230 serious dog bites reported to the city in 2017 were by pit-bulltype dogs.
But Sauvé, accompanied by city councillor Sterling Downey, said “it’s impossible to name a breed of dog ” as intrinsically dangerous and identifying dogs who display dangerous behaviour is a better approach.
And he noted that the government of Quebec, which had planned to ban pit bills, has backed down, saying there is no scientific consensus that breed-specific legislation is effective.
Sauvé said the new regulation will enable the city to be more proactive by creating a new category identifying “potentially dangerous” dogs on the basis of aggressive behaviour, including attempts to bite or attack someone.
It will also allow the city to refuse a dog licence to someone convicted of animal cruelty or ticketed three times for having a dog off a leash.
Under the bylaw, dangerous behaviour like an attempt to bite someone must be reported to the city within 72 hours and the dog must be evaluated by the city ’s canine squad. If the evaluation determines it is potentially dangerous, it must be sterilized, vaccinated and have a microchip inserted. The owner must get a special permit, costing $150 a year, and the dog must be kept on a fenced property, with a sign indicating its presence, and wear a special tag.
Owners of potentially dangerous dogs must be 18 or over, not have a criminal record and not have been convicted of animal cruelty.
It’s impossible to name a breed of dog (as intrinsically dangerous). STERLING DOWNEY, city councillor
Sauvé said the city is adding four new members to its 10-member canine squad in charge of enforcing the bylaw. The squad will visit dog runs to promote awareness of good pet ownership.
He acknowledged that only 40,000 of the city’s estimated 115,000 dogs are licensed, but the city hopes to raise that number by introducing online licence applications and waiving fees (currently $27 for neutered dogs and $62 for non-neutered) for service dogs, pets from shelters and homeless people.
Also under the bylaw:
Dog owners may not use choke, ■ prong or electric collars, or keep dogs chained for more than three hours as of 2020.
Pet stores may only sell dogs, cats ■ or rabbits from shelters as of July 2019.
All dogs, cats and rabbits sold ■ in Montreal must be neutered by 2020.
Cats must be neutered and have ■ a microchip by 2020.
Cats with tags and microchips ■ will be allowed to go outside.
Households will be allowed to ■ have up to eight pets, including a maximum of three dogs, or four cats and dogs.
Fines for failing to have a dog on ■ the leash will be reduced to $300 from $500. However, fines of up to $750 could apply for potentially dangerous dogs.
Dogs weighing 20 kilograms (44 ■ pounds) or more must wear a halter.
The city consulted 200 residents and gathered 12,000 responses to a web survey on the issue during the winter.
The Montreal SPCA welcomed the bylaw, saying it includes several measures that animal advocates had long called for.
The SPCA also hailed the city for ending what it called the “antiquated and inhumane” calèche industry, a goal for which it said it had striven for 150 years. It offered to work with owners to find homes for former carriage horses where they could enjoy a comfortable retirement.
Luc Desparois, owner of Lucky
Old Montreal equals calèches. People come to Old Montreal just to take a calèche ride.
Luke, which operates seven calèches, said the city has no justification for shutting down the industry.
“Old Montreal equals calèches,” said Desparois. “People come to Old Montreal just to take a calèche ride.”
The owners of Montreal’s approximately 24 calèches, employing about 50 cabbies, have worked for five years to improve veterinary care and conditions for horses and claims the animals are unhealthy or overworked “are all lies,” he said.
“We’ve done everything but they’re still taking away our jobs,” said Desparois, who vowed to fight for the industry’s survival.