Dog bites child

[Fancy]

The Vernon SPCA and the city's dog control office have confirmed that they did not have involvement with a dog complaint out of Coldstream over the weekend.

More than probable the dog will go back to the owner without any consequences.

[Silverstarqueen]

I am not a lawyer, so I don't give legal advice. and don't get your advice from Dog Control, they have no responsibility to protect you or your dog from prosecution (and I've seen people who did get their advice from Dog Control still get prosecuted or lose their dog.) Learn from other people's mistakes to avoid your own, look at "the Not so Dangerous Dogs of B.C" on facebook, I think there is also a website informing something like "Animal lovers against Section 49 Abuse" or something like that. But for this dog owner, they may not have that much time. Their dog could still be confiscated, even if the police have concluded nothing further needs to be done (as happened in Shadow's case, Shadow was still taken over a month after the bite that she didn't take, Diesel was picked up two years after a dog scrap that "no one was complaining about"). The law doesn't say anyone has to be "complaining" about a dog. It says if the Dog Catcher "believes" your dog could bite someone( in the future, not the past) , they can take them and apply to have them put down. The "belief" does not need actual evidence of any bite, and the case of this dog, there is evidence of a bite, so that's enough right there. I'm not going to tell people what to do, except to realize what could happen and take your own action to protect your dog.

[Fancy]

Sounds like fear mongering.

[Silverstarqueen]

Sounds like you are quite confident, so don't worry about it.

[Fancy]

The dog is not a safety threat so I wouldn't be making a mountain out of a molehill.

[grammafreddy]

Maybe Dog Control in Vernon is different than Dog Control in Kelowna (CORD)?

[dogspoiler]

Sounds like fear mongering.

So, nothing like that will ever happen ?

[Fancy]

So, nothing like that will ever happen ?

What are the owners suppose to do? Hide the dog?

[dogspoiler]

What I am suggesting is that you do not trust Dog control to act in a resonable manner.

[Silverstarqueen]

Maybe Dog Control in Vernon is different than Dog Control in Kelowna (CORD)?

Dog control in Vernon is different. But if you are asking does Vernon Dog control ever seek a dog to be removed or destroyed, yes they do. Is it there job to help you as an owner keep your dog when they want to confiscate it? No it isn't, so they are going to do what they need to do for their job. In the article it said Dog control had not yet been brought into this case, so it remains to be seen what they will see fit to charge/ticket or not charge with, and what they will do about the dog.

[Xia33]

I agree with dog spoiler...do not trust that dog control will do right by the dog....and, yes, there have been many cases that, IMO, should never have happened. If there is no complaint from either/any of the parties involved, it should be left alone...not that that will happen, so do beware, I guess. Sad that it has to be that way....trust not the "powers that be".

[Fancy]

In the cases regarding Diesel and Shadow, there were complaints against both dogs that needed to be followed up on. There is a good possibility since the child and dog are known to each other, there won't be a complaint made and there won't be any need for dog control to step in. I'll be optimistic this was an accident.

[Merry]

If the dog control people in ANY community are getting involved in situations where no complaint has been made, they ought NOT to be doing that unless they can prove a very compelling reason for doing so.

NO municipality hires animal control people to cause problems where there otherwise wouldn't be any; so if that's what's happening in Kelowna or anywhere else people should contact their local town Councillor and get the situation rectified.
Goodness knows there are enough animal control issues that ARE complained about that need to be addressed, without the animal control people looking for problems where there aren't any. Over zealousness in ANY profession can be a serious impediment to the overall running of the department, and needs to be investigated.

[Fancy]

This isn't about dog control though - they don't seem to be involved in this case.

[Ingevan22]

I'm all for people solving their own problems, but counselling them to perform selective reading, such as only reading Community Charter Section 49, or better yet, random Facebook pages, instead of the specific bylaws that apply to their local area, likely won't help dog owners understand their responsibilities to the public at large.

Call your local government or check the bylaws on their website, or follow this link to find the dog control bylaws that apply in your area: http://dogcontrol.ca/dog-licensing/dog-control-bylaws/

Here in Vernon.... If my dog bites a kid on the face today - and the incident is reported to Dog Control - she would be labelled an "Aggressive Dog".

As the owner of an "Aggressive Dog", I would have to make sure that she is leashed and muzzled at all times while in public, or while in her own yard, tethered and/or secured in an enclosure. She would NOT automatically be put down, as some seem to suggest.

If my "Aggressive Dog" is not muzzled and/or escapes her tether to bite yet another person, then YES, she could be considered a "Dangerous Dog", and Dog Control could seek a destruction order - with good reason.

Would I cry if I had to put down my "Aggressive", now labelled "Dangerous", dog? Absolutely. But it's simple: in our society, we have collectively decided that the life of a child - or any human - is worth more than a dog's.

One more (Utopian?) thought about dogs, people, and regulations... the SPCA exists to protect dogs (and other animals) from people... Dog Control works to protect people from dogs... but if ALL people were responsible dog/animal owners in the first place, we would have little need for either agency.