Owner says dog wrongly collared in ID tag dispute
Woman at odds with Montreal over $149 ticket
Until recently, Ringo, a three-year-old poodle in Montreal, had a spotless record. No scraps with other dogs at the dog park; just a playful bundle of white fur who liked to chase after squirrels.
Which is why a brush with the city’s paw patrol came as a total shock to his owners.
They say bylaw enforcement officers stopped Ringo and his dog walker on Aug. 12 at a Montreal intersection, alleged the animal was not wearing proper doggie ID, and issued a $149 ticket.
Zoe Mintz, whose mother owns Ringo, says the dog was wearing an ID tag issued in neighbouring Westmount, an enclave of Montreal, that day, but the officers insisted he needed to have a tag issued by the city of Montreal to walk the city’s streets.
“It’s shocking that city resources are being used to stop dog walkers who are trying to enjoy the city on a Friday evening.
“Don’t they have better things to do?” said Mintz, who has consulted a lawyer and has no intention of paying the fine.
“I would understand if Ringo wasn’t registered at all, but he did have a tag. We are diligent dog owners. We respect the laws. We’ve never had a problem.”
However, a spokeswoman for the city of Montreal, offered a different version of events late Wednesday.
Geneviève Dubé said the reason officers cited the dog walker was because Ringo was not wearing any tags — either from Westmount or Montreal — and the dog walker had no paperwork to show the animal was licensed anywhere.
She said the city has no issues with licensed dogs from other jurisdictions entering its boundaries.
Mintz, however, said her mother is meticulous and had Ringo’s tag renewed this year and that it’s worn on his collar all the time, including the day of the encounter with authorities.
She is preparing a written response and will include documentation proving the family had a valid registration.
“Hopefully, given the evidence, they can throw it out,” she said.
Montreal has intensified animal control enforcement measures this summer — checking to make sure pet owners have appropriate registration tags and leashes — after a series of serious dog attacks.
A 55-year-old woman was killed in June after her neighbour’s pit bull attacked her in her yard.
Mintz says while she has no problem with cities requiring dog owners to register their pets, enforcement officers seem to be over zealous.
The officers in this case could have given her dog walker a warning — the stiff $149 fine is three times the amount for a typical parking citation, she said.
Until her appeal is heard, Mintz says she has reluctantly
WE RESPECT THE LAWS. WE’VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.
paid $30 for a second registration tag from the city of Montreal.
Mintz is caring for her mother, who has cancer and is in hospital, and doesn’t want to risk the possibility of running afoul of the law again.
“Since the incident, I purchased a city of Montreal dog tag for peace of mind. The last thing I need right now is for another person who’s kind enough to help us out during this difficult time to get a fine.”
Christina Jez, the owner of Walks & Wags, a Montreal dog-walking service, says it’s “absurd” dog owners should have to register their pets in multiple places.
“As long as you registered where you live, that should be good enough. (It’s as if) you’re being held hostage in your own community.”
Jez said she often walks in different boroughs when taking clients’ dogs for walks and has no intention of stopping.
“I am still crossing boundaries,” she said. “We like our dogs to visit different areas and they like it, too.”