Proposed bylaw changes include fines for leaving pets in hot, cold vehicles, new rules for dog daycares

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This article was published 10/01/2022 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers could soon be charged fines that range between $200 and $500 for leaving pets inside hot or cold cars, as well as for feeding wildlife, under new animal protection rules.

If council approves the changes, new minimum staffing and space requirements for dog daycares will also be among the additions to Winnipeg’s responsible pet ownership bylaw.

“(The changes are) a step in the right direction for us to create a more humane Winnipeg for all of our animal friends,” said Brittany Semeniuk, an animal-welfare consultant for the Winnipeg Humane Society.

The new rules would prohibit owners from leaving dogs, cats and other companion animals unattended in vehicles without air conditioning or heating running whenever the temperature meets or exceeds 22 C or drops below -10 C. Those who cycle with a dog tethered to a bike would no longer be allowed to do so at temperatures of 22 C or higher.

A city report notes Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to 88 emergency calls about pets left in vehicles between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1, 2021.

Semeniuk said the rules should make it easier to help animals in distress.

“One of the purposes of amending the responsible pet ownership bylaw is to really bring a legal framework (to address) some of the practices that society already deems inhumane.… Every year, our facility and animal services get multiple calls about animals left in hot vehicles and cold vehicles but because there hasn’t been any legal stipulation in the City of Winnipeg, animal protection officers are often quite limited in terms of how and when they can intervene,” she said.

Semeniuk said someone trying to rescue animals from cars must often wait until a pet is in physical distress to take action.

A separate ban on feeding wildlife on private property, with exceptions for bird feeders and animal-welfare organizations, should help prevent animals from being desensitized to humans, she said.

“Once wildlife become dependent on the meals that humans are providing to them they become very, very comfortable around humans and that not only puts human health in danger, that puts (the animals’) lives in danger,” she said.

Close contact can make it more likely for animals to be hit by cars and for humans to be bitten. she said.

Semeniuk said other limits on breeding, which would restrict female dogs and cats to produce no more than one litter per year, should help address a surge in the number of “backyard breeders” popping up to meet a pandemic demand for dogs.

And she welcomed dog daycare rules, which would set standards for a largely unregulated industry.

“Having dogs grouped by appropriate size, ensuring there are enough staff at these facilities to really oversee all the dogs… is to really ensure that when people are taking their own pets, their own family members to these places, they can trust that these animals (will) be safe,” she said.

Under the new rules, canine daycares would be required to separate dogs by size, meet minimum sizes for play areas and provide one staff member for every 25 small dogs and one staff member for every 20 large dogs.

Leland Gordon, the city’s general manager of animal services, said the changes were well-received during public consultations and should not affect most citizens negatively.

“The average person in Winnipeg who is a responsible pet owner, there’s going to be zero impact,” said Gordon.

Additional changes proposed for the responsible pet ownership bylaw include:

• Prohibiting the outdoor use of “body hold traps” and “glue traps” for animals.

• Authorizing shelters to spay/neuter impounded unlicensed stray dogs and cats, as well as any dog or cat impounded twice.

• Banning round-the-clock tethering/chaining of dogs outdoors.

• Allowing poultry to be kept on certain properties larger than five acres.

The changes won’t kick in until before summer at the earliest, as council must approve the proposal and an upcoming bylaw to implement it first.

Last year, the city was also considering a limit on the type of animals that can be owned as pets, which would have banned many birds, and inviting feedback on bans for specific dog breeds.

Gordon said changes related to those topics will be proposed at a later date. The city may also review its rules on urban chicken-keeping, he said.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga