ABOUT THE PROJECT

Pets are important to Calgarians, and the bylaw helps create a safe environment for Calgary. Calgarians’ needs have changed since the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw was updated 12 years ago. An update to the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw ensures that The City of Calgary is reaching as many pet owners as possible and is creating effective compliance and education by recognizing new trends that will impact Calgarians and businesses. The bylaw is being reviewed as part of a Calgary Community Standards workplan item that came out of Service Plans and Budgets 2019 – 2022 .

Phase 1 engagement focused on reaching different stakeholders, including pet owners, people who do not own pets, City staff and pet industry representatives (e.g. veterinary clinics, businesses, pet daycares, pet sitters, dog walkers, animal rescue organizations, academics, breeders, kennels, other nearby municipalities, etc.).

Based on your feedback in phase 1 engagement, we wanted to update you on how your input has been used regarding enforcement, education and some other areas, including dog walkers and dog-walking businesses, off-leash parks, retail sale of animals, beekeeping and importing animals. Click on each title below to expand each section.

Thank you for your input on the following topics in phase 1. The input received on these topics in phase 1 is currently sufficient and information regarding what is happening is listed below.

Our recommended bylaw amendments will be based on your feedback, input from targeted stakeholders and internal staff and could include some restrictions, or none. We thank you for taking the time to provide your opinions.

No decisions have been made about any of the measures listed in the survey. We want to understand:

We understand this topic is sensitive for many. In phase one engagement we heard that you want further enforcement and harsher consequences for dogs that are considered dangerous. In our research, we looked at how other municipalities and provinces respond to these concerns. Many placed enhanced restrictions on dogs that are showing a potential for more dangerous behaviours based on their previous behaviours, including instituting measures for ‘pit bulls’. Courts also use information about a dog’s past behaviour when deciding whether to designate it as ‘vicious’.

Based on input from phase 1 engagement, we understand that we can be better at education. We heard that the following are areas we should focus on and we are working on an education plan to address these.

Promoting the value of licensing including the implementation of a free ride program (each licensed pet gets one free ride home a year if it is found at large)

Updating software that allows Community Peace Officers to optimize their routes, automate enforcement documents so they do not have to be written out by hand

Based on your feedback in phase 1 engagement, we wanted to update you on how your input has been used regarding enforcement, education and some other areas, including dog walkers and dog-walking businesses, off-leash parks, retail sale of animals, beekeeping and importing animals. Click on each title below to expand each section.

YOUR INPUT

Phase 2 engagement is now closed. Your feedback is being reviewed. A summary of what we heard will be shared here in late October.

Thank you for providing your input into phase 2 engagement. In phase 2 engagement, we wanted your input into potential bylaw amendments and other considerations that were raised as we reviewed the research, municipal scans, as well as your input, input from targeted stakeholders and input from City staff in phase 1.

Frequently Asked Questions





Why is the Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw being reviewed?

An update to the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw ensures that The City of Calgary is reaching as many pet owners as possible and is creating effective compliance and education by recognizing new trends that will impact Calgarians’ and businesses. This bylaw review provided opportunities for Calgarians to have input into potential changes to the bylaw. We wanted to hear from pet owners, non-pet owners, and people who work with, and interact with, pets.





Who are considered stakeholders in this project?

Pet owners, people who do not own pets, City staff and pet industry representatives (e.g. veterinary clinics, businesses, pet daycares, pet sitters, dog walkers, animal rescue organizations, academics, breeders, kennels, other nearby municipalities, etc.) are all considered stakeholders in this project.





Can participants from outside of Calgary or Alberta provide input on this engagement?

People who visit Calgary or live in neighbouring communities and work and play in Calgary may also be impacted and interested in the decisions we make, and we consider that when we determine who can give input into a project.





Why don’t we limit who can provide input?

For online public engagement, we try to strike a balance between ensuring the engagement activity is accessible to any Calgarian who would like to participate, while knowing that people who may be passionate, but aren’t impacted by City of Calgary decisions, may submit feedback. Engagement allows City decision-makers to understand the ideas and values that shape citizens’ preferences and desires so that those ideas and values can be taken into account when making decisions. All of the input collected for this project will be considered with the lens of what will work best in Calgary.





Can we tell which input is coming from participants outside of Calgary or Alberta?

The City does have access to unique identifiers created from the encrypted IP addresses, and this allows us to review the number of unique IPs that visit the page. This information, along with reviews of submitted data do show us that the system’s anti-spamming and automated bot detection systems are working as intended.





What happens if interest groups from outside of Calgary flood our process with feedback that doesn’t represent Calgarian’s views?

There is a chance that when discussing controversial or passionate topics, people with an interest in the topic from outside of Calgary may provide feedback. This adds to the quantity of comments, but there’s nothing to indicate that the range of ideas we are seeing from outside Calgary is any different from the comments we are getting from Calgarians.





Why are you conducting this review right now?

Calgarians’ needs have changed since the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw was last updated, 12 years ago. Pet ownership means more to Calgarians than simply caring for cats and dogs; emotional support animals, livestock (such as chickens) and beekeeping are also becoming areas of interest.





Why is the engagement being done in phases and what does the second phase explore?

In the first phase of engagement, we asked Calgarians about a range of topics including wildlife in Calgary, feral, stray and roaming cats, urban agriculture, vicious dogs and licensing their pets. In the second phase, we are asking questions based on common themes found in the initial feedback provided, and based on our research, which included data-based analysis on the issues and topics, and municipal scans to evaluate what other cities are doing.





What will you do with the results of this engagement?

Results from the engagement, research, operational feedback and best practices will inform recommendations to update the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw for City Council’s consideration in 2021.





What research has been done for this project?

A number of inputs are used to inform this bylaw review. They include market research, engagement, staff input, best practices research and a municipality scan to evaluate what other cities are doing. A review of 33 municipalities across Canada was completed. These were selected based on larger population bases and also included other jurisdictions in Alberta, with populations greater than 50,000 people.





Why are you asking breed specific questions?

In undertaking the bylaw review, one of our research pillars was a comparative municipal scan, to look for common themes in measures other cities are taking. We committed to listening to Calgarians on these themes, and offered the opportunity for them to provide feedback on the measures that other cities have considered or initiated regulation on, which includes breed specific legislation. As a part of this bylaw review, we are looking at mechanisms that can reduce the number and severity of dog bites in Calgary, and are at the stage where we are gathering this information.





Why we are asking about pit bulls and nuisance dogs in phase 2 engagement?

We understand this topic is sensitive for many. In phase one engagement we heard that Calgarians want further enforcement and harsher consequences for dogs that are considered dangerous. In our research, we looked at how other municipalities and provinces respond to these concerns. Many placed enhanced restrictions on dogs that are showing a potential for more dangerous behaviours based on their previous behaviours, including instituting measures for ‘pit bulls’. Courts also use information about a dog’s past behaviour when deciding whether to designate it as ‘vicious’.

No decisions have been made about any of the measures being asked in the survey.

We want to understand:

What Calgarians would, or would not support with regard to restrictions or increased expectations for pit bull or nuisance dog owners

What Calgarians would, or would not support regarding restrictions or increased expectations for dogs with multiple offences where there is a higher potential for dangerous behavior

Our recommended bylaw amendments will be based on Calgarians’ feedback, input from targeted stakeholders and internal staff and could include some restrictions, or none. Recommendations will also be informed by best practices research in other jurisdiction and scientific research. We thank Calgarians for taking the time to provide their opinions.





How many vicious dogs are in Calgary? What is a vicious dog and what repercussions do they have?

There are currently 13 vicious dogs (as deemed by the courts) in Calgary that have rules applied to them that other dogs in the city do not. A vicious dog is one that has chased, injured or bitten any other animal or human; damaged or destroyed public or private property; or, threatened or created the reasonable apprehension of a threat to a human, and which, in the opinion of a Justice, presents a threat of serious harm to other animals or humans.





Are dog bites increasing in Calgary?

Complaints from Calgarians through 311 in regard to dog bites have remained consistent, there is no increase observed year over year. While there is no increase in the number of bites observed, there are cases where the severity of the bites have increased.

Public safety and positive interactions between pets and the public are important to The City of Calgary. We are analyzing our data to look for opportunities to improve safety.





What are Calgary’s current dog bite statistics?

A total of 178 dog bites have been investigated by Calgary Community Standards from January 1 – July 31, 2020.





How do dog bites break down by breed in Calgary currently?

The investigated dog bites span breeds, including: working, herding, toy, terrier, sporting and non-sporting. In 2020, Working and Herding breeds make up about 56 per cent of the total bites in Calgary, with Terriers following at about 15 per cent. In 2019, Working and Herding breeds make up about 53 per cent of the total bites in Calgary, with Terriers following at about 17 per cent.

The City of Calgary uses the Ian Dunbar scale to evaluate dog bites. More information on the Ian Dunbar scale can be found here.

When looking at the more severe (Level 5) bites from 2015-2019, pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers represented 39.1 per cent of those bites.

Level 4 bite on the Ian Dunbar scale: Two to four holes from a single bite, typically contact/punctures from more than canines, considerable bruising. Black bruising, tears and/or slashing wounds. Dog clamped down and held and/or shook head from side to side.

Level 5 bite on the Ian Dunbar scale: Multiple bites at level 4 or above. It also is characterized by a concerted, repeated attack causing severe injury.





What is the total number of bites on the higher end of the scale (4 and 5) in Calgary?

In 2020, 3.4 per cent of the bites were scaled at a Level Five and 10 per cent at a Level Four. Most incidents responded to locally are Level Two and Three, representing about 80.9 per cent of the bite incidents in Calgary.





Why are you asking about limiting the number of cats and dogs a household can have?

Limiting the number of pets a household can have helps to limit community concerns, such as accumulation of feces on a property or excessive noise due to barking.





What if someone wants 8 dogs and 4 cats in their home, would future regulation state that they cannot?

We are asking that Calgarians share their feedback as this is something we would like to understand better. We know that households vary as do pet owners and caretakers’ circumstances. One of the potential exceptions we are asking about is a process to gain approval for additional animals, if a limitation is introduced.





What role does the City of Calgary have in responsible pet ownership versus the province?

The province of Alberta has legislation that protects animals, it is known as the Animal Protection Act. This legislation is enforced by officers at the Calgary Humane Society. The City of Calgary has the Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw, which focusses on creating a safe and harmonious community for Calgarians and their pets. If City of Calgary officers encounter an animal in distress, they address the situation with our enforcement partners at Calgary Humane Society.