Brampton Coun. Doug Whillans will put forward a discussion item at the next committee of council and request staff look into updating Brampton’s animal care bylaws.

The move comes after Whillans was approached by some Brampton residents regarding dogs being kept outdoors during the recent cold snap that gripped southern Ontario.

According to Whillans, while Mississauga updated its bylaws to closer reflect the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) care guidelines three years ago, Brampton hasn’t updated its bylaws since 2005.

The SPCA guidelines are not legally binding until municipal governments entrench them in a local bylaw.

“I’m surprised. (The bylaw) doesn’t specifically have a breakdown for leashing and tethering, animal enclosures or the keeping of the animals in there,” said Whillans.

As it stands, Brampton’s bylaw addresses leash rules in public, but includes few standards of outdoor care on private property beyond providing an adequate shelter and food and water.

Mississauga’s bylaw also includes regulations and standards of care relating to how long a dog may be tethered and kept outdoors, and also addresses care in extreme weather.

The lack of a more robust bylaw including such regulations means there is only so much bylaw officers and the OSPCA can do after receiving a call about an animal who may be neglected or in danger.

“There is a section in (the existing bylaw). I was surprised when me and my assistant went through it to see if the bylaw had been updated. I thought maybe we were missing something,” said Whillans.

“It basically just talks about (shelters or pens) and the property line. I want them to refer to what Mississauga is doing … The Mississauga bylaw specifically talks about inclement weather. It talks about shelters, waterproofing. It basically talks about what the SPCA guidelines are for the outdoor care of dogs."