Reports of dogs attacking or biting other dogs tend to increase in the summer months, but the city's municipal enforcement department says the new dog bylaw will make such attacks easier to investigate when it takes effect in 2014.
A resident contacted the newspaper last week after her dog suffered puncture wounds during a recent encounter with two greyhounds while out for a walk.
The reader, who said her dog was off-leash, said she was chatting with the owner of the greyhounds, who were leashed at the time, when one suddenly lashed out. The reader's dog had some skin torn away and some puncture wounds that required veterinary attention.
Aaron Giesbrecht, manager of policing services for St. Albert, said such dog-on-dog attacks happen more frequently during the summer than at other parts of the year.
"That's a given just because people are out in the community more often, taking dogs out to dog parks and out walking their dogs," said Giesbrecht. "They are more active than they are in the winter months."
The reader's dog is expected to recover. The reader told the Gazette she does not think having her dog leashed would have made a difference as it would have made it more difficult for her dog to escape the attack.
She also said she is not upset or angry with the greyhounds' owner.
"The more I think about it, I don't think there was anything that could have been done," she said. "I'd just like people to be a bit more aware than I was."
Giesbrecht said such instances should be reported to municipal enforcement. It doesn't mean a ticket will be issued, but it helps officers track repeat problems with specific dogs.
"Then it's on record and it lets us see if there's a history of violence with that particular dog," Giesbrecht said.
Bylaw changes
The current animal bylaw, which will be replaced by a new bylaw in September 2014, does say it's an offence for a dog to attack another, but only in the context of whether or not the dog was "under control" by the owner, Giesbrecht said. That makes it difficult for officers to determine whether or not an offence has occurred.
"It's the same fine as if a dog just happened to get loose and it's friendly and not much of a nuisance," Giesbrecht said. The fine for a biting another dog or a dog simply being loose was also the same – $120.
Under the new bylaw, it will be a specific offence for a dog to bite another, regardless of control. The fine for biting a person or another animal is $250. That increases to $500 if the animal or person who is bit is injured as a result.
"At the end of the day the investigation the officers do is still similar," Giesbrecht said.
