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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife resident who has repeatedly complained about her neighbour's dogs likely won't be getting her full wish after city officials acknowledged last week that a revamp of the city's dog bylaw doesn't contain any provisions about the number of dogs a resident can keep.

Dr. Tom Pisz, owner of Great Slave Animal Hospital, is opposed to capping the number of dogs a resident can own, saying it would be unfair to responsible dog owners. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Ballantyne Court resident Cecile Beemer pleaded with city council to put a cap on dogs last July after showing councillors pictures of her neighbour's yard, which was covered in feces and where several dogs could be seen running around at all hours unattended. She said the neighbour has kept anywhere from two to seven large dogs in the yard since 2004.

That year, the city attempted cap the number of dogs a resident could keep at three but council shot the proposal down.

City administration has redrafted the dog bylaw since Beemer's presentation. Officials say the city will be releasing it for public consultation in the coming weeks although it's keeping it under wraps for now.

"We will have to see when the draft comes out but hopefully it will be more comprehensive as far as rules around noise, keeping of animals, conditions and cleanliness," said Beemer when contacted last week.

"I'm also hoping there will be a limit (on the number of dogs a person can own) but I doubt it."

Beemer agues six out of eight major Northern communities have a limit on the number of dogs a person can own, including Hay River, Inuvik, Cambridge Bay, Grande Prairie and Whitehorse.

"Some of those places have a bylaw where if you want more than a certain limit, then you apply for a special permit," she said.

City legal services manager Kerry Penney and public safety director Dennis Marchiori both confirmed last week that a new bylaw is coming, but a limit on dogs is unlikely. Penney said many municipalities were consulted during the city's review of the bylaw but found little consistency.

Calgary doesn't have limits, whereas Edmonton does, she noted.

"What we have done is reviewed at least 10 other community bylaws -- some which are dog bylaws and some of which are animal bylaws -- to see how they are regulated," she said.

Enforcing a cap would be a challenge, said Marchiori.

"You can't put something in that you can't reasonably enforce," said Marchiori. "If you do put that in, then you are opening yourself to liability."

The draft bylaw the city will be releasing will instead focus on residents' responsibilities as dog owners.

"We have had to try to make it clearer where people are held responsible or liable when one is picking up dog poop in a public place or putting forward that an officer could issue a warning to clean up your yard within 72 hours," said Penney.

"So we've just tried to make it easier in dealing with some of those situations. But those can all change."

Dr. Tom Pisz, owner of Great Slave Animal Hospital, is opposed to limiting the number of dogs.

"I guess policing that is kind of silly," he said, adding it would be unfair to responsible dog owners.

"There could be a case where somebody that has one dog maybe shouldn't have it because they let it poop and pee all over the place. Someone else that has two or three dogs might be able to keep them in under control and don't cause a problem or disturbance or anything," said Pisz.

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