'Keep your dogs tethered': Regina woman speaks out after pet killed

Published Aug 11, 2023 • 3 minute read

REGINA, SASK : August 11, 2023– The front facade of the Regina Humane Society on Armour road on Friday, August 11, 2023 in Regina. KAYLE NEIS / Regina Leader-Post Photo by KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-Post

A Regina woman is sounding the alarm after her daughter’s dog was killed by two unleashed dogs.

Judy Bell said the tragic incident occurred in her daughter’s yard, when she was about to take her Papillon dog — who was on a leash — for a walk.

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“Two large dogs attacked and ripped her dog apart and killed it right before her eyes,” she said in recent letter to the editor. “Because she saw it, she is traumatized and her family devastated and heartbroken.”

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Bell said the attack dogs were put down, and the owner donated some money to the Regina Humane Society.

“But there was no real remorse shown by the owners of the dogs, and no apology, which wouldn’t have brought back their beloved pet, anyway,” she said.

“What’s the point of having bylaws or policies if no one abides by them? Keep your dogs tethered. Next time it might be a child.”

The Regina Humane Society (RHS) is contracted by the City of Regina to provide impound facilities and enforcement of City Bylaw 2009-44, which deals with the issue of animals being at large.

According to the bylaw, an animal is considered at large when it is on public property unaccompanied by a person, on public property accompanied by a person but not under complete control, or on private property without permission from the owner or occupant.

RHS director of marketing and public relations, Bill Thorn, said they get reports of dogs being at large on a regular basis.

“Sometimes it’s people that are walking their dog and they don’t have the dog on a leash, very often though it’s dogs that get out of an enclosure or yard where they were being kept and they’re running around,” he said.

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“Often that’s when bites will happen too. It can be against people, it can be an animal that’s bitten another pet that type of thing, and they are killed on occasion especially when it’s a larger dog that encounters a smaller dog.”

Thorn said people must keep their dogs on leashes unless they are on their own property. However, there is a provision in the bylaw for owners to have complete control of their pet by verbal means.

“Unless you’re a highly trained dog trainer, like at the level of police canines, and that kind of thing, you’re just not going to have that complete control. I’ve never really seen anybody with that,” he said.

“You’d have to prove that you have complete control. That means, if your dog is taking off after a squirrel and you say ‘stop’ and it stops every single time; that’s complete control.”

Thorn said while many people have well-behaved dogs, the bylaw is in place to keep everyone safe, and letting any dog off leash is part of the problem.

“While a lot of dogs that are off leash are not causing a problem, sooner or later someone is going to let a dog off of a leash that has absolutely no business being off leash,” he said.

“That’s when the problem comes in, where they don’t have any kind of control over their dog and that’s when people are bitten, other animals are attacked, and wildlife in the park is attacked.”

When it comes to off-leash dog parks, Thorn said off-leash dogs are not considered at large, but owners must accompany their pets and have control over them by physical or verbal means at all times.

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