Dog owners’ tricks keep Animal Control Unit on its toes

WHILE the City is doing its utmost to fight serious crime, its Law Enforcement Animal Control Unit also has its hands full with complaints about dogs behaving badly, having received nearly 450 reports over a six-month period.

The City of Cape Town’s Animal Control Unit dealt with 443 complaints in the second half of 2016 – the majority of which involved dog attacks. According to statistics, 60% of the cases related to attacks on humans and the rest were attacks on other dogs. During the period, the unit impounded 136 dogs and opened 70 case dockets.

Barking complaints are enforced by general Law Enforcement staff, with the Animal Control Unit only becoming involved once all avenues have been exhausted to address a complaint.

One of the problems that the Animal Control Unit faces is that many complainants demand action, but then withdraw charges as soon as they receive compensation.

The City’s Animal By-law of 2010 covers a number of aspects, including the number of dogs allowed per household, responsibilities of dog owners in ensuring the animal’s health and well-being, as well as other prohibitions relating to the keeping of dogs. The full by-law is available at: http://tinyurl.com/zpbou29

Free-running dogs are a particular concern, both in residential areas and public open spaces – especially beaches.

The Animal By-law clearly stipulates that no dog is allowed to be in a public place except on a leash and under control unless the dog is in an area designated by the City as a free-running area.

Owners should also not allow vicious or dangerous dogs to be in any public street or place unless the dog is humanely muzzled, held on a leash, and under control.

Dog owners run a number of risks by allowing their dogs to run free in this manner.

There’s the risk of the dog attacking a person or another animal, not to mention the risk of the dog possibly being run over, or worse, stolen to be sold or used for dog-fighting purposes.

Unsupervised dogs with no form of identification will be impounded. The same goes for beaches with a prohibition on dogs.

The seashore regulations empower the Animal Control Unit to summarily impound the dog.

The Animal Control Unit has also received a number of complaints about unregistered kennels and other animal shelters for which permits are required.

The Unit is working closely with the Cape of Good Hope SPCA to address the illegal sale of puppies at intersections.

The City urges the public not to buy dogs in this manner and to report such incidents to the Public Emergency Communication Centre by calling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline. Wayne Dyson City of Cape Town