City mulls pet transport rules

The city is considering whether police should enforce how pets are transported in vehicles.

Following a request from a city councillor in December, city staff have recommended that the traffic bylaw working group examine whether adding such a provision would be appropriate.

“I’m pleased that they are looking at the traffic bylaw working group so that the potential for enforcement seems real,” said O’Donnell.

Enforcement is technically possible now, but a city report says it proves difficult.

The Regina animal bylaw requires owners to always have control of their animals, either verbally or physically, but it does not specifically address transporting pets in vehicles. The report says proving lack of control is challenging, too.

Plus, animal protection officers, who enforce the bylaw, do not have the authority to pull over vehicles without a warrant unless they can prove an animal’s life is threatened.

“Certainly, the move to (the) traffic (bylaw) makes a lot more sense: That really shows that while we have a bylaw, facilitating its enforcement is being approached,” said Regina Humane Society executive director Lisa Koch.

“Animals should be safely restrained just like the human occupants of a vehicle,” she later added.

Koch said unrestrained animals are not only a danger themselves, but can be a danger to drivers and other motorists.

The SPCA recommends keeping an animal inside the vehicle in a crate or restrained with a pet safety belt, or in the back of a truck in a secured crate or with a short body harness.

Koch just has to look out her window to see evidence of people inappropriately transporting their pets.

“We see it quite frequently even with people travelling in our parking lot here with their dogs in the back of trucks. So our officers often don’t have to go very far in order to provide that education,” she said.

For Koch and O’Donnell, it’s the education and awareness bit that’s key. The humane society already teaches individual pet owners how to safely transport their pets. The city is also considering an education campaign. Ones in other cities have cost $35,000 to $50,000 per year.

“This is not about gaining financial means for the city; this about creating a safe situation for both the animal, but also for the driving public,” said O’Donnell. “I would say that the education part, then, becomes the ultimate goal.”

O’Donnell said he hopes the traffic bylaw working group keeps people’s fondness for their pets in mind while its members consider this recommendation.

“I must admit that I was taken aback by the passion and the understanding that people have for safety for their animals. It has become paramount in many people’s lives,” he said.