Animal Control and Dog Licensing Fees

1. This by-law may be cited as the “Animal Control By-Law”.

1.  "Animal Control Officer" shall mean the person or persons appointed by the
   Township of Alfred and Plantagenet to enforce this by-law and any servant or agent
   of such person or persons employed for such purposes.
2.  "Attack" means:
   i. a menacing behavior or apparent attitude of attack including but not limited
   to growling or snarling toward a person or a domestic animal;
   ii. an assault resulting in bleeding, bone breakage, sprains, scratches or
   bruising, or
   iii. aggressive behavior resulting in physical contact and damage to clothing
   worn by the person or domestic animal, or,
   iv. behavior that poses a menace to the safety of persons or domestic animals;
   and "attacked" or "attacking" have a corresponding meaning.
3.  "Bite" means a wound to the skin, causing it to bruise, puncture or break.
4. "Corporation" shall mean the Corporation of the Township of Alfred and
   Plantagenet.
5. "Dog" means any member of the species Canis familiaris, or any hybrid thereof, over
   the age of sixteen (16) weeks.
6. "Dog Catcher" shall mean the Dog Catcher appointed by the Council of the
   Corporation of the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.
7. "Dog Pound" means a facility operated by the Township or contracted by the
   Township for the care, keeping and impounding of dogs.
8. "Kennel" shall mean an establishment other than a veterinary hospital or pet shop,
   for the breeding or boarding of dogs and/or dogs that are registered or eligible for
   registration with an association incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act
   (Canada).
9. "Municipal Law Enforcement Officer" shall mean the Municipal Law Enforcement
   Officer appointed by the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Alfred and
   Plantagenet.
10. "Muzzle" means a humane fastening or covering device of adequate strength over the
    mouth of prevent a dog from biting yet still allows a dog to pant or drink.
11. "Neutered Dog" shall mean a male dog which has been castrated or a spayed
    female dog.
12. "Owner" means a person who keeps, possesses or harbors a dog, where the owner is
    a minor, the person responsible for the custody of the minor, and "owns" and
    "owned" have corresponding meaning.
13. "Running at large" shall mean a dog found in any place other than the premises of
    the owner of the dog and not under the control of any person by means of a leash.
14.  "Township" shall mean the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.
15. "Vicious dog" means any dog with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to
    attack without provocation a person or a domestic animal or has bitten another
    animal or person without provocation.
16. "Zoning Administrator" shall mean the Zoning Administrator appointed by the
    Council of the Corporation of the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.

1. Every resident in the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet who is the owner of a dog
   shall, within thirty (14) days following the date that a dog comes into his or her
   possession, or where applicable, upon the dog reaching the age of (16) weeks,
   register the dog with the Township, and thereafter annually pay a fee as prescribed in
   Schedule "A" of this By-Law.
2. Upon registration, the Township shall issue a tag bearing a serial number and enter
   the following information in a file kept for that purpose:
   1. Name of owner
   2. Address of owner
   3. Telephone number of owner
   4. Name of dog
   5. Description and breed of dog
3. c) It shall be the responsibility of the owner to notify the Municipal Law Enforcement
   Officer of any changes in information provided at the time of registration.
4. The owner of a dog shall keep the tag securely fixed on the dog at all times until the tag is renewed or replaced, but the tag may be removed while the dog is being lawfully used for hunting.
5. The fee charged for the replacement of lost dog tags shall be five dollars ($5.00).
6. No tag or registration fee under this By-law shall be transferable and the tag shall expire and become void upon the sale, death, or other disposal of the dog.
7. No person other than the owner or his agent shall remove the licence tag from a dog.

1. Every person who contravenes any of the provisions of this by-law is guilty of an offence and on conviction thereof shall forfeit and pay a penalty for each such offence and every such penalty shall be recoverable under the provincial Offences Act , R.S.O. 1990, chapter P. 33 and amendments thereto.
2. When a person has been convicted of an offence under this by-law, any court of competent jurisdiction thereafter, may, in addition to any other penalty imposed on the person convicted, issue an order prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the offence or the doing of any act or thing by the person convicted directed toward the continuation or repetition of the offence.
3. The requirements of this by-law are severable. If any requirements of this by-law are held invalid, the application of such requirements to other circumstances and the remainder of this by-law shall not affected.
4. This by-law shall come into force and take effect on the day of its passing.

1. No person shall keep or allow to be kept within the boundaries of the Township more
   than three (3) dogs per household, with the exception of those holding a kennel
   licence.
2. No person shall operate a kennel without first obtaining written confirmation from the
   Zoning Administrator that such operation complies with the Zoning By-Law of the
   Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3, the owner of a kennel shall pay an
   annual licence fee as prescribed in Schedule "A" and such owner is not liable to pay
   any further licence fee in respect to dogs harbored therein.
4. No person who owns or harbors a dog within the Township shall permit such dog to
   become a public nuisance. A dog shall be considered public nuisance if:
   1. It persistently barks or howls at any time so as to disturb the peace or
      quiet of any residence or any persons in the vicinity
   2. It causes damage to public or private property.
   3. It interferes with or dumps or scatters garbage or trash.
   4. It chases pedestrians, bicyclists or vehicles.

5. Every owner of a dog shall immediately remove any feces left by the dog in the
   Township of Alfred and Plantagenet : 

   i. on a highway or roadway;
   ii. in a public park, recreation area;
   iii. on any public property;
   iv. on any private property other than the property of:
   - the owner of the dog, or
   - the person having care, custody or control of the dog;

6. Every owner of a dog shall remove from his or her property, in a timely manner, feces
   left by the dog, so as not to disturb the enjoyment, comfort, convenience of any
   person in the vicinity of the property.

a) Every cage, pen or other such enclosure used for the housing of a dog or dogs shall
be constructed and maintained :

1. to allow every animal in the cage or pen to comfortably:
   • extend its legs to their full natural extent;
   • stand;
   • sit;
   • lie down in a fully extended position;
   • and be provided with adequate space for exercise purposes.
2. in a manner that is not likely to harm any other animal therein;
3. in a manner that prevents the dog(s) to readily escape therefrom;
4. to minimize as nearly as practicable the transfer of pathogenic agents;
5.  to allow its sanitization;
6. to have a minimum area of nine and a half (9.5) meter square to be increased
   by three (3) meter square for each additional dog therein over the number of
   one.

b) Every person shall ensure any doghouse which is provided for a dog shall:

1.  be soundly constructed and made of a hard, durable material so as to be
   weatherproof and impervious to water;
2.  Include clean and dry bedding sufficient for all dogs therein;
3. when used by a dog during cold weather:
   • have an elevated floor to prevent direct contact with the surface of the
   ground;
   • have a flap affixed over the door to provide protection from the
   elements;
   • have adequate insulation of the walls, floor and roof to retain heat and
   sufficiently protect the dog therein against cold weather.

1. No person who owns, harbors or possesses any dog shall allow the dog to run at large in the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet, or trespass on private property even when on a leash.
2. Every owner of a dog shall ensure that the dog is kept on a leash having a length of not more than 2.4 meters and under the direct physical control of a person when the dog is on any land in the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet unless:
   1. The land is the premises of the owner of the dog;
   2. The land is owned by a person who has given prior consent to the dog being off the leash, or:
   3. The land is parkland that is Owned by the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet, and designated as an off-leash dog park;

3. 3. No owner of a dog shall control a dog by means of a leash that:
   a. Is not held by the person in his or her hand, or

   b. Is not securely affixed to some immovable structure from which the dog cannot
   escape.

4. For the purposes of this by-law, a dog shall be deemed to be running at large if found
   in any place other than the premises of the owner of the dog and without the control
   of a responsible person.
5. Any dog running at large contrary to the provisions of this by-law may be captured by
   the Municipal Law Enforcement Officer or Dog Catcher.
6. No person shall permit a dog to attack any person or domestic animal or to fight with
   another animal.
7. Where a dog is captured, the owner shall be liable for the pick-up, impounding and
   maintenance fees prescribed in Schedule "A" as pound fees and shall pay all costs to
   the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.
8. In the event that possession of any impounded dog has not been restored to the
   owner within three clear days, not including the date of impounding and the date of
   disposal, the dog may be rehomed or sold for such price as the Municipal Law
   Enforcement Officer deems reasonable, or he/she may dispose of the dog pursuant to the Animals for Research Act and Regulations thereunder. The sale price of any dog
   so sold shall belong to the Municipality and no damages or compensation shall be
   recovered on account of any disposition made thereunder.
9. Where a dog which has been impounded is injured or should be euthanized without
   delay for humane reasons, the Municipal Law Enforcement Officer may dispose of
   the dog in a humane manner as soon after seizure as he/she thinks fit without
   permitting any person to reclaim the dog or without offering it for sale, and no
   damages or compensation shall be recovered on account of such disposition. When
   the dog is identifiable, the Municipal Law Enforcement Officer will attempt to notify
   the owner in advance of its euthanasia.
10. The Municipal Law Enforcement Officer shall keep a record of every dog impounded
    or seized, including the date it was impounded, a description of the dog, the license
    and tag number if it wore a tag, and the date of the disposition and the disposition
    made.
11. Possession of the dog may be restored to the owner if the owner claims possession of
    the dog within seventy-two (72) hours of impounding.
12. The Municipal Law Enforcement Officer may release a captured dog to the owner if
    satisfied that the dog is licensed for the current year, after identification of the dog by
    the owner and payment by the owner of the pound fees prescribed in Schedule "A".
13. Where the owner of a dog refuses to take possession of his/her dog and/or refuses to
    pay the pound fees, such fees and all costs incurred by the Township shall be added
    to the collector's roll of taxes for the current year and shall be collected in like manner
    and with the same remedies as municipal taxes.

1. The owner of a vicious dog shall, at all times, when it is not in the owner’s dwelling but otherwise within the boundaries of the owner’s lands, be kept within a fenced yard as prescribed in Schedule “A”, section 6, so as to prevent the dog from escaping from the owner’s lands and to prevent the dog from causing injury to any person or animal entering the owner’s lands.
2. The owner of a vicious dog shall at all times when the dog is outside the boundaries of the owner’s lands keep the dog muzzled so as to prevent it from biting o the owner of the dog unless the dog s on the lands of a person who has consented to it being on his lands, in which case the provision s of Section 6 a) may apply.

1.  That By-Laws numbers 2007-084, 2020-12, and 2023-05 are hereby repealed.
2. Schedule "A" hereto attached is part of this By-Law.
3. The provisions of this By-Law shall be enforced by the Municipal Law Enforcement
   Officer. No owner or person shall hinder, obstruct, molest or interfere with or attempt
   to hinder, obstruct, molest or interfere with the Municipal Law Enforcement Officer in
   the lawful performance of his or her duties.

1. Every person who contravenes any provision of this by-law is guilty of an offence and,
   upon conviction, is liable to pay an Administrative Monetary Penalty, upon issuance
   of a penalty notice in accordance with the Administrative Monetary Penalty System
   ("AMPS") By-law of the Township, as amended from time to time.
2. When a person has been convicted of an offence under this by-law, any court of
   competent jurisdiction thereafter, may, in addition to any other penalty imposed on
   the person convicted, issue an order prohibiting the continuation or repetition of the
   offence or the doing of any act or thing by the person convicted directed toward the
   continuation or repetition of the offence.
3. The requirements of this by-law are severable. If any requirements of this by-law are
   held invalid, the application of such requirements to other circumstances and the
   remainder of this by-law shall not be affected.
4. This by-law shall come into force and take effect on the day of its passing.