For Iqaluit bylaw, every day’s a dog day

Michael Hatch, Iqaluit’s acting chief bylaw enforcement officer, stands with a husky dog that bylaw officers recently picked up. Hatch estimates that his department picks up about 20 loose dogs each month, with about half of those returned to owners. The others are either given up for adoption or destroyed if deemed aggression. (PHOTO BY DEAN MORRISON)

Matt Senkow of Iqaluit was returning home from a run Jan. 8 when a pack of four dogs ran out from between buildings near Arctic Ventures and surrounded him.

A large dog that Senkow says was a husky took the lead growling, and moving in front of him, while the other three circled behind.

Slowing down to a walk so the dogs wouldn’t hound him, Senkow maintained his composure and kept facing the dogs as he made his way home.

On his porch, unharmed, he quickly closed the gate.

“I was certainly nervous and it got my heart racing,” Senkow said. “I have encountered two of the dogs over the last six weeks while out running or walking, and each time they have acted aggressively towards me.”

Once Senkow was safely in his home he called the municipal bylaw officers, told them what happened, and gave them a description of the dogs.

While Senkow was shaken up, he said he was more concerned about this group of dogs encountering children, because he’s seen them ranging over a large area of the city.

When bylaw officers get a call about loose or aggressive dogs they’re dispatched to the area where dog was last seen.

But even if they can locate the animal, it doesn’t always mean they can catch them.

Many of the dogs recognize the bylaw officer’s truck and are quite skilled at avoiding capture, said Michael Hatch, Iqaluit’s acting chief bylaw enforcement officer.

“If the dogs have been picked up before, they will see us and just start running,” Hatch said. “They know where they will end up and they don’t want to go there.”

Iqaluit bylaw officers collect about 20 dogs a month, returning about half of those to their owners.

If the dog’s owners can’t be located within a minimum of 72 hours, the animals are either put up for adoption or destroyed.

And if a dog displays aggressive behaviour and is believed to be a potential threat, they will be put down.

Most dogs picked up aren’t registered, which makes it difficult for bylaw officers to locate the owners.

And that lack of registration also becomes more costly for the owner.

It costs $70 to pick up an unregistered dog, but if the dog is properly tagged, the cost is only $40.

The cost of getting your dog registered is $10 a year.

The city works closely with the Iqaluit Humane Society. Its coordinator, Janine Budgell, says the society has taken about 1,500 dogs into their care over the past year – despite having to close its shelter last August.

But the society continues to work with animal shelters in Quebec and Ontario to find homes for the animals that come into their care.

Every Tuesday, through a deal with Canadian North, the society sends dogs to southern shelters.

“It is only through the generosity of companies like Canadian North that we are able to save as many dogs a year as we do,” Budgell said.

But Budgell feels that the city needs to rewrite its bylaws concerning the importation and breeding of dogs in Iqaluit.

In a census conducted by the city in 2006, 4,500 dogs were recorded in Iqaluit.

Budgell believes the dog population in Iqaluit is likely higher now, because a a new litter of puppies is born every two or three weeks.

The city needs to rewrite its bylaw to mandate that new dogs be registered and either spayed or neutered, she said.

And all dogs should be spayed or neutered unless they are registered as breeding animals.

“I am totally respectful and conscious of the fact that there are cultural components in regards to Inuit sled dogs and working dogs that would need to be taken into account,” Budgell said.

“But I think that is something that could be addressed completely separate of the bylaws.”

The society does not want to see any regulations in place that encroach on cultural practices, Budgell said, pointing out that the dogs that her group receives are rarely sled or working dogs.

“Most of the animals we see are animals that have been cross-bred with small domestic animals that just don’t have the genetic make up to withstand the temperatures in the north,” Budgell said.

Many Iqalummiut believe a new local service will help control the city’s dog population.

Iqaluit mayor Madeleine Redfern says she is excited about the city getting a full time veterinarian, which will make it easier for animal owners to get their dogs spayed and neutered.

A meeting between municipal bylaw officers, the humane society and the city is in the planning stages.

Such a meeting would bring together all the major entities to find solutions on how to deal with unwanted and neglected animals in the community, Redfern said.

But bylaw officers can only do so much and dog owners also have to take responsibility, she said.

Anyone who encounters a loose or aggressive dog can call the 24-hour bylaw enforcement dispatch line at 979-5680.

And if you see an injured or neglected animal call the Iqaluit Humane Society at 975-3651 or 222-1300.