The penalties for a dog owner who contravenes the Dog Owner's Liability Act can include jail time, said the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Failing to exercise reasonable precautions to prevent a dog from biting or attacking a person or domestic animal is a violation of the Provincial Offences Act, and can come with a six-month jail sentence, but penalties can also include a fine up to a maximum of $10,000 and a restitution order requiring the owner to make compensation or restitution to victims, said the ministry in an email.
It will be up to the Justice of the Peace to decide what penalties are best suited for this case. The court will also decide the fate of the canines.
That can be anything from the owners having to take specified measures for the more effective control of the dogs or for the purposes of public safety, such as restraining the dogs by means of a leash and a muzzle, up to euthanization of the dogs. The court may also prohibit the owner from owning another dog during a specified period of time, said the ministry.
On Jan. 30, the owners of two dogs in Lively — dogs that were seized by the city earlier this month after they attacked another dog — will have their first court appearance. They face three charges in connection to the attack, which ultimately led to the death of Tonka, an eight-year-old Norwegian elkhound belonging to Terry Matthews and her family.
A vicious dog order was issued against the canines on Jan. 5, a day after the attack. They were then seized on Jan. 7 after the city applied to the province for a warrant to allow them to take the dogs.
