Fort Simpson (Mar 31/06) - Dog owners in Fort Simpson have been given two weeks notice to find leashes.

At the special meeting of village council on March 27, council narrowly passed a motion to enact an emergency dog control program.

After April 12, dogs running loose in Fort Simpson could be destroyed immediately. - NNSL file photo

Starting on April 12, any dog found running at large will be immediately destroyed.

The move was triggered by recent complaints, including one from an older woman who was attacked, said Mayor Duncan Canvin.

Dogs running loose have been an ongoing problem, with many complaints coming at the beginning of each year, Canvin said.

Past experience has shown that emergency measures cause people to tie up their dogs and the problem is alleviated for a while, said Canvin.

"The good pet owners will be sure to tie up their dogs," he said.

Council was divided on the issue, with councillors Bob Hanna, Bruce Thomas, Olinto Beaulieu and Carl Lafferty voting for, while Ann McKee, Candy Brown, David Wright and Tom Wilson voted against it. Canvin broke the tie by supporting the motion.

During debate, Wright disagreed with the move. The only effect the emergency program has is the removal of the waiting period before killing licensed dogs, he said.

Under the existing by-law, unlicensed dogs can be destroyed immediately, while licensed dogs have a three-day waiting period.

Wright said he wonders why people would bother to buy a licence if their dog can be immediately destroyed.

"I don't see the point of targeting licensed dogs when it's the other ones creating the problems," said Wright.

Brown also objected. There's already a bylaw in place and if it's not working, it should be changed, she said.

"We have dogs all over town and that's the issue," said Lafferty, who supported the program.

Canvin said the notice that will be posted around town might be changed to read, "all dogs running at large can be immediately destroyed."

Dog catchers tend to be compassionate, said Canvin, who believes an effort will still be made to return dogs to their owners if possible. But there are lots of dogs who don't seem to have homes, he added.

"The fact is a lot of people have chosen to ignore the bylaw, so we must take the next step," said Canvin.

"People buy a licence to have a dog. They don't buy a licence to let their dog run free."

Besides making people comply with the bylaw to keep dogs leashed, the program is also an effort to to decrease the spread of diseases such as parvo, and hopefully lower the birth rate, said Canvin.

Canvin said the situation will be revised in a month to see if there have been any changes.

"Ultimately I don't think we will have much of a dog cull once people tie their animals up."