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BIG BRAS D'OR, N.S. —

A Victoria County woman says a municipal dog bylaw is doing little to address a decade-old problem of pets wandering into her yard.

Sharon McLeod, who lives on Black Rock Road in Big Bras d’Or, says roaming dogs are not only a nuisance, but in some cases, they have posed safety concerns to her and her Yorkshire terrier.

“I have to constantly deal with having one dog in particular (who) likes to relieve herself on my doorstep — that’s been going on for 10 years,” said McLeod.

“The last weekend of June or July, I was in my backyard and I just happened to turn around and I had two (large breed dogs) charging at me that thank God I had my lawn mower on.”

McLeod said the noise from the mower eventually scared the dogs away.

After having been left with physical impairments from a car accident, McLeod is concerned about the safety of herself and her 10-pound Yorkshire terrier.

“I can’t leave him out there and not have eyes on him because I don’t know what’s going to come in the yard,” McLeod said.

“All I’m asking is for them to apply the bylaws.”

FIDO FACTS

Rules and responsibilities for Victoria County dog owners:

Dogs are not permitted to run at large.

All dogs must be under control when in public.

Owners must ensure their dog does not cause disruption of the peace by persistent howling, barking or noise making.

All dog waste (poop) must be removed from private or public property (other than the owner’s property).

All dogs must be registered each year with the municipality and wear municipality-issued dog tags.

Source: Municipality of the County of Victoria

McLeod said that the municipality’s animal control employees are not responsive.

In one instance, McLeod said she waited for over six hours for an officer to show up and collect one of the dogs causing her grief.

Just over two years ago, Victoria County changed its dog bylaw to allow officers to issue summary offence tickets to owners not adhering to municipal rules.

Prior to the changes, which came into effect on Aug. 1, 2017, officers were only allowed to impound dogs caught breaking the bylaw.

The municipality’s chief administrative officer, Leanne MacEachen, said the County employs one part-time staff animal control officer in each district — located north and south of Cape Smokey.

If a dog is captured it is taken to the SPCA in Sydney, where the dog will be returned for a fee.

But if the dog has bitten someone, or is considered dangerous, it can be quarantined or put down.

“As part of updating our bylaw in 2017, we wanted to address a number of issues including making sure all dog owners register their dog every year and providing summary offence tickets and fines for those who consistently don’t follow the rules,” said MacEachen.

“However, while our officers complete the required training, we have tended to be more lenient with dog owners in this regard. In the meantime, we may explore other options.”

McLeod said if municipality wants all dog owners to pay registration fees, they should first keep unwanted dogs from causing disturbances.

MacEachen stressed that it’s not easy to be an animal control officer as no one wants to take a pet away from its family and home.

As part of the municipal bylaw all dogs must be registered and wearing tags.

Animals should not to be running at large and must not be disturbing the peace with constant howling, barking or noisemaking. All of this information is found on our website at www.victoriacounty.com/animal-control-services or by calling 902-295-3231.