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LABRADOR CITY, N.L. —

Heather Fisher is fed up.

Like many other residents of Labrador City, Fisher is upset with the number of dogs roaming and the streets - and the owners who allow them to run loose.

“There are a few dogs where I live that my fiancé and I have encountered,” said Fisher. “One is a husky who is not very friendly towards men or children. We have had to call animal control on it. I think we have encountered that dog three times and our dog walker has once."

Yet nothing's been done.

“We know the owner has been contacted about the dog," she said, adding, "We don't blame the dog for its actions.”

Fisher said the first time she complained about the dog to the municipality, she left a message and never heard back from anyone. But the second time, an enforcement officer came and got the dog.

Craig Purves, director of planning and development for Labrador City, is also in charge of municipal enforcement. He said the enforcement officer, or a fill-in, is on call 24/7 to receive complaints. But Purves also said it can be challenging to track down some of the roaming dogs.

“We do our best to intercept the animals, but it’s challenging. We’re not chasing chihuahuas here.” — Craig Purves

“The type of dogs that get out, they’re the ones jumping the fence in the winter and usually they’re big dogs,” said Purves. “So, even if 10 minutes go by, that dog can be gone. It’s challenging on our end to sometimes locate the dog.”

The municipality is doing it's best, he says, but it's not an easy task.

“We do our best to intercept the animals, but it’s challenging. We’re not chasing chihuahuas here.”

Fines handed out

When dogs do get caught by the enforcement officer, they are put in a kennel until the owner pays a $125 fine.

“Fines generally help address problematic behaviour,” added Purves.

While roaming dogs are mostly a nuisance in Labrador City, there have been times when it became a safety issue. In December 2018, a man was attacked by two dogs and bitten while on his evening walk, forcing him to go to the hospital.

Purves said another challenge for animal control is the prevalence of social media. Instead of calling the town about a roaming dog, some people prefer to post their complaints on Facebook.

“Because it’s such a small town and closely knit and we have the entire town connected on social media…when a dog is on the run, it’s sort of put out there on Facebook and not necessarily reported to the town,” said Purves.

“If you see a dog or intercept a dog, don’t go to Facebook, call our animal control officer.”

“If you see a dog or intercept a dog, don’t go to Facebook, call our animal control officer.” — Purves

The many Facebook posts about roaming dogs also have some dog owners feeling frustrated for being publicly shamed.

“…sometimes (dogs) manage to get away, I got two well behaved huskies but if opportunities arise, they are gone, like a bat out of hell!” said one poster on Facebook. “Sad that owners are labelled as not being responsible, our dogs are treated like humans same as most others. Can’t always control the dogs urge to go when opportunity arises which are few and far in between!”

Purves advises dog owners to make sure fences are too high for a dog to jump over and, most importantly, to keep their animals tethered to a leash while outside.

“It’s tough when you got that much snow and…most dogs can probably jump a six-foot fence if they put their minds to it.”

“If it’s big enough to hop over the fence, you can try snow clearing around your fence — that’s what we do at the dog park. And if you have a runner, put it on a leash.”

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