In response to an increase in vicious animal complaints, the City of Greater Sudbury has been asked to review its current approach to the issue.
A motion by Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent sparked the review during a committee meeting of city council this week, which asks the city to consult with other municipalities and jurisdictions to review their deterrent practices and penalties.
The motion came in response to calls from area residents, Parent explained, which included incidents where veterinary or medical treatment was required following animal attacks.
Sudbury.com reported on one such incident, where a pair of tan shar pei have allegedly been attacking people and animals, including an incident where one of them killed a puppy,
Last year, there were 281 vicious animal complaints filed with the city, corporate security and bylaw services director Stefany Mussen told Sudbury.com.
So far this year, there have been 348 complaints.
“A pretty substantial increase, but what we have to keep in mind is that a complaint that’s headed ‘vicious animal’ doesn’t necessarily mean there was an attack on a person or animal,” she said.
“It could be that somebody was growled at by an animal, or an animal lunged at them, or it could be an animal already deemed vicious.”
It’s unclear why there has been such an increase in complaints, but the running theory is that more people got pets during the pandemic.
In 2022, there were 28 dog and cat bites on record. So far this year, there have been 30.
Last year, five animals were deemed “vicious,” and three have been classified as such so far this year.
Although the number of actual attacks and vicious animals doesn’t appear to have increased year over year, Mussen said her department welcomes the review Parent set in motion.
“A review of the bylaw doesn’t hurt, because there may be some opportunities for us to look at deterrents,” she said, particularly since there has been such an increase in complaints.
There might be an opportunity for the city to prevent an accompanying increase in attacks and dogs being classified as vicious.
A close call could create an opportunity to require the dog to receive training to prevent future aggression, she said, citing this as one idea that might come out of the review.
When a dog is classified as vicious, a number of requirements and restrictions are put into motion, such as posting a warning sign, muzzling the dog and ensuring the dog is unable to escape their enclosure.
Parent’s motion requests staff to report on the results of their review of what other municipalities do by March 2024.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
