Chelsea Powrie

Dog control bylaws were up for discussion at Thursday's Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen meeting following an uptick in complaints from residents regarding bylaw officers' actions.

Development services manager Brad Dollevoet spoke to the board alongside Don Moore of South Okanagan Security Services Ltd., which has been contracted by the RDOS for animal control for the past year.

Dollevoet acknowledged that complaints from the public about bylaw officers stepping in and ticketing unleashed dogs, among other infractions, have increased, but that has more to do with the fact that bylaws are finally being enforced — an area in which previous contractors were lacking.

"The regulations are fairly similar. What is new is that we're taking a more active approach to enforcing it, and perhaps catching some people off guard," Dollevoet said.

Moore explained that while some of the work bylaw officers do is complaint-based, as in the instance of several complaints over Christmas in the Apex Mountain area, but even more is proactive activity.

"We are actively patrolling upwards of 40 hours a week," Moore said. "Proactive patrols, going and looking for it rather than waiting for the complaint."

He added that most of his interactions with people are civil, though every now and again, "some get vocally aggressive and threaten violence and stuff like that." He said the key to reducing complaints and dissatisfaction from the public is better education and public signs indicating what local bylaws regarding dog control actually are, as many people he meets in rural areas aren't aware what rules exist.

Area I — which includes Apex Mountain — representative Subrina Monteith called dog control bylaws a "hot topic" in her area, asking Moore to clarify what jurisdiction he has on Apex Mountain area trails. The answer: complete jurisdiction, except on streets, which are provincial land, and on Crown land.

Board chair Karla Kozakevich further clarified, saying that all RDOS parks are on-leash-only areas for dogs.

She added that increased dog control over the past year has had mostly positive reviews in her area of Naramata, but raised the concern that pickers and migrant visitors during the summer may be more susceptible to breaking bylaws, and less likely to be able to afford impoundment fees for their dog.

"We don't generally take dogs from pickers for that reason," Moore said. "Actually we have far fewer problems from the pickers than we do local residents in Naramata."

To close the discussion, Dollevoet stressed the need for the area directors to be clear with what they expect for their specific area from the animal control bylaw services.

"The board agreed to explore their options and get back to me and come forward perhaps in the future with a report for changes, if any," Dollevoet said. "Our administrative recommendation was to keep things the same in terms of having an active presence in our rural areas."