Some Ottawa city councillors are pushing for better enforcement and a review of bylaws following a reported increase in the number of dog attacks.
From 2020 to 2023, the city saw nearly a 20 per cent increase in the number of reported dog attacks, according to statistics provided by city staff in response to an inquiry by Stittsville Coun. Glenn Gower.
Dog owners say that the City of Ottawa should reconsider the way it handles attacks and take measures such as cameras in dog parks to help.
In 2023, the city received 845 reports of dog attacks, up from 2022’s 715 reports. Reported attacks have gone up every year since 2020, which is as far back as the stats the city compiled show.
Gower voiced his concern about the number of recently reported dog bites in an inquiry to the general manager of the city’s Emergency and Protective Services and the director of Bylaw and Regulatory Services.
The councillor also asked about how to increase public awareness of vicious dogs, mentioning Toronto’s online directory, aimed at making the public aware of dangerous dogs in the city.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, too, has been voicing his concern for the lack of enforcement of dogs off-leash for multiple years now.
“It does, for me, emphasize the need for the city to better enforce rules that we have against off-leash dogs,” Leiper told Capital Current.
Sarah Blachette, owner and founder of Calm & Collected Canine, an Ottawa-based dog training service, says she’s not surprised by the increase and said a number of factors can explain the trend.
“One of the big things is the dog’s genetics,” Blanchette said. While the way a dog is raised can affect its likeliness to bite, so can things such as the breeder not doing proper temperament or health testing, she said.
Blanchette also said laws requiring dogs to be leashed in public can be unnatural for dogs and influence them to conflict.
“What older trainers are saying is that back in the day, that used to be a thing where they would let their dog out, kind of like cats, and they would socialize and then come home when they felt like,” said Blanchette.
Blanchette says the current way of dealing with attacks can sometimes lead to measures such as unnecessary muzzle orders.
Josée Girouard is a dog owner who was given a muzzle order for an incident that occurred this past April.
Girouard says that while her dog was playing off-leash in a fenced-in area, a child came running and screaming towards it. When the child then began to run away, the dog scratched their back as a result of trying to jump up towards them.
About a week later, Girouard received a muzzle order and a fine from bylaw officers. Eventually, the muzzle order and fine were dropped, but Girourard says the way incidents are handled has some problems.
“A muzzle order wouldn’t prevent future scratches,” she said. “My dog was issued a fine and a muzzle order but he didn’t bite and it was a scratch.”
Girouard also says that “attack” is a strong word that doesn’t take into account the nature of the interaction.
Blanchette says there needs to be more consistency in what penalties are given.
“Maybe they should have a team of trainers or something to actually be able to assess the dog,” she said.
Blanchette also mentioned measures such as cameras in dog parks that could be used to review incidents.
As the budget season for the city approaches, Leiper says dogs off-leash will be a big focus of his questions to bylaw.
