Marie-Anick Elie, president of the Beaufort Delta Dog Mushers Association, said the mushers had some concerns with new changes proposed in the bylaw.

Under the new law, the mushers would have to pay a one-time registration fee of $100 per kennel, plus $2 per dog and a written description. Eli said that's too hard for the mushers to pin down, as their kennels are always changing.

"When you have puppies, you give them away or they are traded or you take in new dogs. There is a high turnover," Elie said. "We suggested that they drop the $2 fee and the description."

She said the description of the animals is already registered when shots are given and the town could just use those forms. Another point disputed by the mushers is a limit of 30 dogs per kennel.

"If you have more than that, you have to get special permission from the council," she said.

The mushers questioned why the cap was placed at 30 and how council arrived at that figure. Eli said most kennels have more than 30 dogs.

"One of my dogs just had a litter of eight puppies," she said. "That put me over the limit."

Open sprint and long distance mushers require more dogs for replacement.

"There is a list of 10 or 15 points and we felt it should be passed on to pet owners for the good of all the dogs," she said.

Mayor Peter Clarkson said the town is reviewing the entire dog bylaw.

"We wanted to address the issue of dangerous dogs in the community, so Jerry (Veltman, bylaw officer) thought we should review the dog musher component of it as well," Clarkson said.

The mushers will send along their recommendations to town council in the new year.