Regina passes animal bylaw changes targeting dangerous pets, fines and mandatory leashes

Regina city council has passed new amendments to its animal protection bylaw.

Regina’s city council has passed new amendments to its Animal Protection Bylaw, allowing more actions to be taken when dealing with animals that are deemed dangerous.

The changes will allow judges to issue temporary seizure orders pending dangerous animal hearings.

Under the new rules, pets outside the home must always be leashed with the exception of off-leash parks. This provision replaces the previous rule that allowed owners to maintain verbal control of their pet.

Detainment fees fines and penalties for breaking the bylaw are also increasing about by $50 on average for varying offences.

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The changes will be implemented in phases, with the first wave mainly focusing on dogs and public safety. Initiatives for other common pets such as cats are set be covered later.

Speaking to city council during Wednesday’s meeting, the Regina Humane Society (RHS) said it would like to see animal protection officers (APOs) hold more powers to be able to seize animals in unsafe situations.

“Because of the legal risk in liability in the seizure of private property if there has been a shift in authority direction then certainly that is something the humane society is willing to support,” RHS CEO Lisa Koch explained. “Under the Animal Protection Act as we’ve indicated, the threshold is very high. Basically, an animal needs to be in distress."

“It essentially gives us more tools in the toolbox to be able to intervene at an earlier stage,” she continued.

Mayor Chad Bachynski said he was happy to see progress made on the issue – even if the work is not close to complete.

“This is phase one of this review. Perfection is the enemy of progress. I think we want to see progress and this was a big step – to open up the bylaw and put work into and then acknowledge and recognize that there will be more work to be done,” Bachynski said.

The mayor went on to say the city wants to provide APOs the adequate tools to ensure public safety while also making sure officers utilize the powers they already have.

“I think council has taken the step in giving some of those powers today,” he continued. “But there’s going to be ongoing work with the humane society to make sure we all have the right expectations on enforcing those powers.”

Regina follows two other Saskatchewan communities, Warman and Martensville, which have already enacted animal welfare provisions.

The City will continue to review its bylaw and administration may bring forward more recommendations at a later date.