The local resident said she is very concerned for the safety of her four children who walk to school everyday.

"We've had no end of dog problems," she said.

"My kids have been chased, barked at, and they haven't, in the past, been able to ride their bikes around the block."

The situation has somewhat improved lately, thanks to the town's bylaw officer, "but still there are loose dogs," she said. "And I'm afraid for my kids."

She added there is a big problem with pit bulls in her area.

Fehr said the dogs are always running free in the street and it terrifies her.

"It's a cross-Canada problem. There are kids and adults everywhere getting attacked and mauled."

Fehr has written letters to the town asking them to adopt a zero-tolerance policy. She said the public consultation meeting held last week was a positive move for the town, but she is worried about what could happen.

"I think that somebody is going to get mauled ... but it's going to be too late at that point.

"I think that we really need to take a strong stand against vicious dogs," she said.

Senior administrative officer Jerry Veltman said the current bylaw gives the town authority to immediately destroy an animal if it's deemed a danger to the public.

"And we have done that in the past," he said, "but a zero-tolerance policy is maybe a little bit unreasonable.

"There is a problem with children taunting dogs, so (a bite) could happen."

Beaufort-Delta SPCA manager Linda Eccles said zero-tolerance policies are not common in Canada because there are many different circumstances that can influence a dog to bite someone.

"Sometimes dogs bite because if they have been hurt by somebody or taunted they can get vicious," she said.

Eccles suggests there are alternatives to killing dogs that bite, such as educating dog owners to be more responsible and educating children about abstaining from teasing or striking dogs.

"When we put them in a yard, that's their space. They are protecting their property," she said.

As for dogs who are loose, or "at large," Eccles said the town does have a vicious dog section of the animal control bylaw to deal with that.