Hay River (Feb 23/04) - Kirsty Dupuis has not taken her children for a walk in her Hay River neighbourhood for two years.

Morgan Dupuis and his sons Cole, 8, and Dane, 4. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

That's since a roaming dog came face-to-face with her then 2-year-old son, Dane.

The dog was growling and gritting its teeth as it threatened her child, who was being pulled in a wagon, says Dupuis.

"I just said, 'Don't move,'" she recalls. "I was scared."

Luckily, the dog caused no injury. However, that was not the only incident the family has faced with loose dogs in their seven years in Hay River's Old Town.

Her husband, Morgan Dupuis, recently wrote to Hay River Town Council about his concerns.

It's not an every-day occurrence, he says, but he can think of many instances of dogs threatening people in the area.

"It's very frustrating," he says.

His wife is concerned that one day "someone is going to end up getting hurt."

The couple wants the town to take more stringent measures to deal with the problem.

Public meeting

Town administration has called a public meeting for Feb. 25 after receiving a number of complaints, the majority coming from the Old Town area on Vale Island.

There is a problem here, particularly when children are involved, says the town's senior administrative officer John Pollard.

The situation warrants getting people together to discuss the Animal Control Bylaw, he says. "We want to make sure people understand what the existing bylaw says."

Recommendations will be made to council following the meeting. "We're going to let people tell us if there should be changes to the bylaw," says Pollard.

Not big problem

However, Art Loupret, the town's municipal enforcement officer, does not think the dog problem is particularly bad in Hay River.

"No more than anywhere else," he says. "In fact, it's a lot less than other places."

For example, he says Fort Smith had a bigger issue with loose dogs a few years ago, before the situation was brought under control.

In Hay River, fines for owners of loose dogs begin at $50 and increase each time an animal is picked up.

In 2003, 89 dogs were picked up for running at large. Of those, 42 were returned to their owners with fines paid or warnings issued, 29 were destroyed and 18 were given to the Hay River SPCA for adoption.

When a dog bites a human, it is reported to Rhian Harrison, the environmental health officer with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority.

In the warmer months, there is an average of 10 reports of dog bites each month in Hay River, says Harrison.

She estimates 80 per cent are caused by loose dogs biting people other than their owners.

The number of bites drop to one or two in the colder months as fewer people and dogs are outside.

The situation is a major public health concern, says Harrison.

For comparison, she says that in Edmonton, with a population of close to one million, there is an average of 30 dog bites in a summer month.

"You can see that there's an issue up here," she says.

There are significantly fewer dog bites in Fort Providence, Fort Resolution and Fort Smith than in Hay River, says Harrison.