The number of animal complaints and investigations rose from 785 in 2018 to 845 in 2019, Penetanguishene's councillors learned recently.
The town's contracted animal control officer says the weather and the state of the economy tend to impact animal control statistics.
“It's cyclical with the weather and what's happening in the community, tie into that changes in the economy,” said Randy Bidan, an animal control officer with Huronia Animal Control that looks after issues in Penetanguishene.
For instance, he explained, if a major employer in the area shuts down, people’s lifestyles change.
“A lot of the time the pet is an expense that they unfortunately can't afford,” said Bidan. “The people who do it right call us and ask us to re-home their pet. And then there's another category of people who will say, ‘To heck with it, Fido's gotta go.’ They'll go for a drive and just leave the animal somewhere.”
And that’s when the animal might wander onto someone’s property, prompting the property owner to call animal control.
Weather is a major factor that affects numbers, said Bidan.
“If it's a beautiful day, the dog is turned out because he normally plays in the yard,” he said. “The front yard is full of snow and the only path that is open is the driveway. So the dog goes down there, and before you know it, he's two blocks away from home.”
This is when animal control gets a high number of calls from drivers complaining about a dog out and about or a neighbour that doesn't want the dog to be sniffing around their yard, he said.
Other times, calls may result from visitors attending events in the community, Bidan noted.
“Like the Winterrama Weekend will draw a lot of people into town,” Bidan said, noting the number of complaints for February 2019 were 66 compared to 56 in February 2019. “A lot of them have family in town and they tend to bring their family pets with them. That pet is normally a good doggy, but then they're suddenly in a new neighbourhood and want to explore. There again our phone rings.”
He said another reason why the number of calls is connected to events is that in the holidays and festive season people drink, and they may have a pet in the vehicle with them.
“We'll get calls from the police to come take the pet away because the car is being impounded and the driver can't go home,” said Bidan.
His report submitted to council also shows the number of euthanizations in the area has doubled.
When an animal is near-end of life, Bidan said, sometimes owners, rather than taking the pet to the vet, will call them because Huronia Animal Control provides the same service.
He said he couldn’t offer an explanation as to why the number had gone up from four in 2018 to nine in 2019.
Bidan said a 25% hike in calls in August 2019 (104, compared to 74 in 2018) was likely due to an influx of tourists. The report shows a steady increase in the number of complaints and investigations from April through August.
“It's because in this area that I serve, I think our population blows up to three times its size (during the summer),” he said. “We're cottage country area. That's part of the deal there.”
Bidan said no matter which municipality is hosting Canada Day fireworks, that's one of the busiest nights of the year for him.
“Pets, especially dogs, don't deal well with the loud noises,” he said.
Bidan said to be responsible pet owners doesn’t only mean you treat your pet as a family member, people also have to recognize there are liabilities associated with having pets.
“There are two kinds of drivers on the road today: one that doesn't care if it's a beloved pet on the road,” he said. “The second, a larger majority, that slams on the brakes and may swerve off the road and hit something. Then that person who owns the dog will be held accountable for all the damage.”
Commenting on the municipality’s requirement for dog-tag licensing, Bidan said they are not an extra tax or a money grab. Besides ensuring dogs are regularly vaccinated, tags serve as identification.
“They are a way of getting pets back to their owners if they’re lost or identifying them if they’ve been in an accident,” he said, noting his family has been in this business for more than four decades.
The town has no complaints about the service, said Andrea Betty, director of planning and community development.
"Randy has been providing the service to the town of Penetanguishene for a number of years. He's well-known in the community and he's responsive."
