Calgary Dog Attacks Fall To Lowest Levels In 25 Years

[shel]

Calgary Dog Attacks Fall to Lowest Levels in 25 Years

May 19, 2009

By Lynn Ready, Best Friends Network Volunteer

Holding reckless owners responsible for dog's behavior—not BDL—works!

Communities that have enacted Breed Discriminatory Legislation (BDL) in an attempt to lower dog bites can take lessons from Calgary, Canada.

Calgary, a city in Canada, has significantly reduced dog bite incidents without enacting BDL. Instead they have established humane education programs, and work closely with local animal rescue groups and various city/government departments to identify and penalize reckless owners.

Despite Calgary’s steady population growth (from 600,000 to 1.1 million between 1984 and 2008) and the absence of BDL, attacks by aggressive dogs are the lowest they've been in 25 years.

Calgary Holds Reckless Owners, Not Dogs, Responsible

“Everything goes back to responsible pet ownership,” says Bill Bruce, Director of Animal Bylaw Services in Calgary. In 2006 his team incorporated the bylaw which holds owners responsible for their dog’s behavior.

Bruce says there are four things that are absolutely essential to lowering dog bites:

1. Licensing and permanent pet ID.

2. Easily accessible spay/neuter programs.

3. Training, socialization, grooming and food—basic needs for a dog to feel safe and comfortable.

4. Proper supervision to prevent a pet becoming a nuisance in the community.

Calgary law has a provision that prohibits leaving a dog unattended. An unattended dog tied to a sign or bicycle rack can become scared and bite out of fear. Also, dogs are never allowed to be chained or tethered outside the house unless someone is home. The city doesn’t treat dog bites lightly—a minor bite is a $350 fine and a serious offense is $1,500.

This common sense approach is luring many of Ontario’s residents who live in areas that have breed bans to move to Calgary. Calgary is simply a dog friendly municipality that is working together to do things right. In fact, Calgary’s Annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey results show that over 91% of residents rated Animal Services as "good" or "very good."

Humane Education Proves Effective

The city of Calgary organizes many public speaking programs to teach owners about their pets. These programs address how to properly socialize a dog and understand dog behaviors and needs.

The program has even been incorporated into school curriculums—both public and private. Programs/classes include bite prevention, dogs in society, laws in society, and a junior bylaw project in which kids identify problems in their community.

Investigating Problem Behaviors

Bruce says they spend a lot of time trying to “understand animals.” If a dog bites, for example, the team goes into the house and asks questions such as: Where did the dog come from? Are there children in the house? Where are the dog’s parents? What are the dog’s triggers?

Investigators even give the dog a medical exam to make sure it isn’t suffering from an underlying health problem. In addition, investigators will visit another home in the area with the same breed that hasn’t bitten and thoroughly investigate what that owner is doing right. Again, as Bruce says, it all comes down to responsible pet ownership. Incidentally, Bruce notes that one of their top “biters” is border collies and not “bully breeds.”

This type of investigation certainly entails high costs, but Bruce says those are all taken care of through licensing. Dog owners pay licensing fees (slightly higher rates for unaltered dogs) and those fees go toward the cost for the humane education and other services.

American Pit Bull Terriers on the Rise in Calgary

Brandy Campbell-Biggs, President of Pit Bulls for Life, a non-profit animal rescue operation geared specifically toward pit bulls, says targeting bad owners instead of stigmatizing entire breeds is the key to reducing aggressive incidents. She says that while dog bites have been going down, the number of pit bulls coming to the city has actually been increasing.

A Community Working Together

Ed Fritz, Best Friends campaign specialist for pit bulls, Saving America’s Dog, says, “The good news coming out of Calgary goes to show what can happen when a community is serious and diligent about safety instead of reactionary like so many United States communities in regards to dog ordinances.”

He adds, “When members of a community —in this case the post office, humane society, rescue groups and government—work together to identify dangerous dogs and hold dog owners accountable for the management and care for their dogs, a safe humane community is the result. This is something that Best Friends and many other groups are advocating.”

Ledy VanKavage, senior legislator at Best Friends summed it up with the following. “American cities can learn a valuable lesson from Calgary. They take a community policing approach to animal control. Their animal control wardens get out of the trucks and work with folks—educating them. Their wardens have degrees in criminal justice and training in problem solving, and they don't view their job as simply catching animals.”

For More Information

• Read the news story about Calgary’s approach to dangerous dogs.

• Join the Stop BDL community for more information on how you can help put an end to breed discrimination.

Edited May 25, 2009 by shel

[Daisy]

[Pitbull575]

Good stuff!

Common sense is not dead in Calgary.

I would love to send as many pollies on a junket tour to see what is being done here! Would be taxpayer $$ well spent!

[luvabull]

Awesome