Doggone mad over city policy

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This article was published 21/10/2015 (3827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dog owners are reacting with surprise and anger over a decision by Animal Services to abandon its two-notice warning for expired pet licences.

People who forget their pet’s licence has expired can expect a knock on the door and a hand-delivered $231.25 fine.

“I got my letter in the mail, and it says, ‘This is your first and final notice.’ That’s a little harsh,” Curtis Starkell, owner of two chocolate Labradors, said. “In this day and age… everyone deserves a second chance or a second notice.”

Animal Services COO Leland Gordon said the agency adopted a zero-tolerance policy on licence renewals in 2011. But in reality, dog owners were given two warnings — one before the licence expired and a second shortly after expiry.

Late last year, Animal Services stopped sending out the second notice.

“Running around and fining pet owners for not paying with only one notice — is that what they really need to do?” Starkell said. “I did pay on time, but maybe there are people less responsible out there, and they need to be threatened.”

Gordon said the policy was put into place in 2011 because dog owners weren’t taking out licences, but he offered no explanation as to why the policy was changed last year or why pet owners weren’t informed of the change before it was implemented. A civic spokeswoman said the policy was changed last year “to encourage pet owners to renew their licence before it expired.”

The spokeswoman said updated information on pet licensing is posted on the Animal Services website and added it’s the pet owner’s responsibility to ensure their pet has a valid licence.

Gordon said people with dogs who have licences will get a renewal notice about five weeks before the expiry date, with a clear warning that the letter is their one and only warning.

And yes, he said, Animal Services officers issue the fine in person — because that’s the only way the court will enforce it.

A Facebook post from an angry dog owner complaining about the agency’s policy circulated around the community last week, which got Starkell’s attention.

Gordon attributes the post to a spike in licence renewals and hopes this article will have a similar effect.

“We normally get 20 to 25 licence renewals online a day, but one day (last) week we had 75 renewals, and the phone was ringing off the hook,” Gordon said. “Staff came up to me and said ‘Something is happening.’

“I’m hoping that when people read this story, they’ll look down at their dogs and ask themselves, ‘Have I renewed the licence?’ — and then get it done.”

‘In this day and age… everyone deserves a second chance or a second notice’

— dog owner Curtis Starkell

The City of Winnipeg has required dogs to be licensed for more than 100 years. Animal Services has an annual budget of $3.6 million. City hall covers $904,000 of that, leaving the service to make up the rest from animal licensing and fees charged to pet owners.

Gordon said the agency has a database of all expired licences. Animal Services vehicles are equipped with computers and officers are required to check for violators throughout the day.

The $231.25 fine is paid to the provincial finance department. None of the fine proceeds goes back to Animal Services — the amount is split between the court system and the city’s legal services department, to cover the cost of their involvement.

On top of the fine, the dog owner still has to pay the $31 licence renewal fee (it’s $15 for cats, but that only went into effect this year.)

Gordon said the agency depends on the licence fee to run its operations.

“A lot of people have pets in Winnipeg, and we need (Animal Services) to be here,” Gordon said, adding officers pick up loose and lost pets, including aggressive dogs. Gordon said he’s proud of the agency’s record — 95 per cent of the dogs it picks up are reunited with their owners, adopted or sent to a no-kill shelter. Only those considered too aggressive or too ill are euthanized.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca