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Iqaluit targets irresponsible dog owners Casey Lessard Northern News Services Published Monday, January 30, 2012
"What can we do?" city councillor Mat Knickelbein asked chief bylaw enforcement officer Kevin Sloboda, who was called before council in the wake of reports of a Jan. 6 dog attack on a boy near Nakasuk School. "It seems there is a lot of concern from the community." Sloboda said the solution to the problem may include owner education, live trapping, and bylaw modernization, taking into account local traditions. "We need education about breeding, spaying and neutering. As long as the dogs cycle and go into heat, we'll continue to have litters. As long as that continues, we'll continue to have problems." Sloboda said. "This is an ongoing complaint," said Coun. Mary Wilman. "It doesn't seem to be getting better. It seems to be getting worse." The situation is getting worse. Compared to 2010's 359 calls, 201 of which were for dogs at large, Sloboda told council his officers received 390 calls in 2011, 221 for loose dogs. In 2011, there were 15 dog attacks and 40 dog bites, down from 56 dog bites the previous year. Of the captured dogs, 70 were shipped out of town and 66 were returned to their owners. Once returned, Sloboda said there are always some owners who disregard officers' recommendations to leash their dogs. "There are people who turn around and open the door and the dog's gone again," he said. "Ultimately it boils down to the dog owner and whether or not he opens the door." Recapturing these repeat offender dogs "is not an easy task," he said. "I think they recognize us. Once they get in the kennel, they're gun-shy the next time." Knickelbein suggested owners need an "incentive to register" their dogs, stating on his Twitter feed Jan. 7 that "all unregistered pets should be instantly put down" if bylaw officers catch them running loose. "I'm declaring war on loose/unlicensed dogs in Iqaluit," Knickelbein wrote Jan. 6, the day of the dog attack on the boy. "Enough's enough. Heads together and let's solve this issue." He directed his fighting words at irresponsible owners, telling Nunavut News/North on Jan. 25 that loose animals waste precious city resources and pose a risk to residents and their children. "I found the statistics of 50-odd dog bites in 2010 and 40 in 2011 shocking," he said. "That's not indicative to me of a safe community. I'd like to see those numbers down so children aren't afraid to walk to school and people aren't afraid to walk at night because they're surrounded by packs of dogs." For Knickelbein, who says he is a dog lover, the solution is fairly simple. "My dog is part of my family," he said. "If my dog went missing, the first call I'd make is to the pound to see if they have my dog. If you care for your pet, you register it. If your dog gets loose, you'll get a phone call. You don't even have to look for it. You pay your fine and away you go. "If an untagged dog has been caught several times and the owner can't be bothered to follow the law, which says register your dog, and we have 40 or 50 dog bites in a year, I have no problem culling those dogs." Iqaluit Humane Society president Janine Budgell said she thinks a preventative approach might work better. "I don't believe shooting an animal on sight is the solution to the problem," said Budgell. "We ship upwards of 750 animals annually out of the community, and that doesn't prove to have a huge impact on the number of stray animals. The answer is working with the community to have an affordable spay/neuter program, and community bylaws to enforce healthy ownership that would require people to spay or neuter their pets unless they have breeding rights." The society ships out pound animals as well as those surrendered to them by owners who are unable to take care of their animals. Knickelbein also supports entering into a contract with veterinarian Dr. Leia Cunningham to spay or neuter dogs captured by bylaw officers. "We shouldn't be releasing them without them being spayed or neutered," he said. Until the situation is under control, Coun. Joanasie Akumalik asked for bylaw officer schedules to be adjusted to allow for increased patrols at schools before and after class, and at lunch hours. Sloboda said that is already in the works. "We'll be doing that right away," he said. He also said there was a need for increased weekend coverage as his on-call officers get between eight and 10 calls per weekend. "As we continue to grow as a city," Sloboda said, "things are only going to get busier."
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