No doggie bag yet
Six-month grace period on dog bylaw changes set to expire at end of April
Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, April 23 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A single ticket has yet to be handed out by municipal enforcement officers to dog walkers not carrying poop bags since the city's newest dog bylaw updates were adopted Oct. 28.
That's because municipal enforcement put the breaks on enforcing the new bylaw rule for at least six months, explained Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety with the city.
Bylaw have ticketed several homeowners for unsightly yards as recently as last week, however, and have issued verbal warnings for not carrying bags. Marchiori said he doesn't know if anyone has been ticketed for not picking up after their dog in public areas.
"What we had told council is we weren't going to do anything for at least six or more months because we wanted to do public education," he said.
The idea was to make sure the public had plenty of time to get used to the new rules surrounding dogs so the transition goes as smoothly as possible, explained Marchiori,
The bylaw changes include a new rule stating all dog walkers must carry a "suitable means of facilitating the removal of dog feces" at all times.
To get the word out on this and other changes made to the rules of owning a dog in Yellowknife, the city rolled out a plain-language campaign earlier this year featuring resident Laura Eby and her dog, Riley.
The brochures and ads pointed dog owners to a four-page document that explained the major changes and the rules and penalties included in the bylaw.
"Proper communication and enhanced communication has been a cornerstone of this council," said Nalini Naidoo, director of communications with the city.
"Because you can't just print out a copy of the bylaw and give it to the public, we thought this was a good opportunity for public education."
The six-month grace period for public education does not mean that once that time is up, bylaw officers will set up checkstops at the entrance to Tin Can Hill and other dog walking areas, because "that's not quite fair," said Marchiori.
However, residents can expect a few warnings to be issued in the spring and for officers to start handing out tickets for not having poop bags beginning this summer.
Failing to carry a bag in punishable by a $100 fine, as is failing to remove dog feces from a public area and allowing dog poop to accumulate on private property to the point that it causes a health concern.
Under the changes, dogs must also be tethered properly while being transported in the box of a truck, or other open vehicle, so that they cannot reach outside of the vehicle and are not standing on bare metal. Otherwise, they must be in a ventilated crate.
Dog licences are now valid for 12 months after purchase, instead of expiring on Dec. 31 each year.
After much debate, no limits on the number of dogs was imposed, nor is it expressly against the rules to leave a dog tethered in public areas. However, tethering a dog improperly where it becomes tangled or distressed can carry a $100 fine as well.
"It'll take a bit, but I think people will get used to it," said Marchiori, adding the city is rolling out these changes in the same way it introduced the two-bag garbage limit.
"Don't expect a plethora of tickets right off the bat."
