Action needed on loose dogs: Iqaluit public safety committee
Deputy mayor suggests limits to how many times bylaw officers return loose dogs to owners
The City of Iqaluit’s public safety committee meets April 3 at city hall. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
It might be time for a review of Iqaluit’s animal control bylaw, says Deputy Mayor Kim Smith.
Smith made the suggestion during the city’s public safety committee’s meeting Thursday afternoon after Coun. Amber Aglukark, who chairs the committee, brought up the issue of loose dogs.
“We have all heard reports of pedestrians, children and others being chased, attacked or feeling unsafe simply walking through our neighbourhoods,” Aglukark said.
Despite the discussion about loose dogs, the committee didn’t vote on any formal recommendations to council.
Steve Allen, Iqaluit’s chief municipal enforcement officer, took some questions from the committee about bylaw officers’ latest animal efforts.
Iqaluit has no designated animal control officer, Allen said. That role is taken on by Iqaluit’s three current regular bylaw officers.
“We’re short-staffed right now,” he said, adding the city is trying to hire four additional full-time officers.
The City of Iqaluit regularly posts on its official Facebook page about loose dogs being impounded by municipal enforcement.
According to Allen, 40 per cent of the dogs the city takes in are “repeat dogs” that have been processed by bylaw multiple times.
Smith suggested a few tweaks to the local animal control bylaw, including looking at how long the city keeps loose dogs that get picked up. She also said maybe dogs shouldn’t be returned to owners who keep letting them loose.
“[If] you can’t keep your dog controlled and it keeps coming back into city hands, then maybe we put a limit on how many times we let that happen,” she said.
The public safety meeting included discussions on other topics including the beer and wine store, as well as loitering around Iqaluit’s grocery stores.
The committee — which is made up of city councillors, staff and representatives from the RCMP, Nunavut government and local non-profits – is set to meet again in October.
After the meeting, Smith said she wants the city to include residents in public safety discussions.
“It’d be great to get some more community members talking, which is why I’m happy that, maybe, we’ll be able to actually have some sort of public engagement session regarding public safety before the summer,” she said in an interview.
Why not get owners to pay all expenses related to their loose pets, including time spend on by law officers chasing these dogs.
Good luck with that! Most people will not even get a license tag (for free) from By-law, let alone be willing to pay for any fees. Hence so many loose dogs in this town. They need to start doing what other communities do…
Haha that’s like trying to get blood from a stone hahaa yeah good luck with that
Most of these people could care less. They don’t see any animal as a being, just a disposable object.
Back in the day, loose dogs were automatically euthanized on the spot.
I guess it was, “If you can’t control your dog, RC’s shoot them. Period.”
Most dogs in Nunavut are chained to about two foot lengths. Fed a bone occasionally. Ignored when they’re no longer pups. Scrawny.
“They’re animals!! Just dogs.” is a common response.
Look around town in Nunavut. Heart breaking to see numerous abused, scrawny, malnourished dogs.
Agreed, parents can’t be bothered to pay attention to their children or provide them constructive activities so they toss a puppy at them and expect a 5 year old to take care of a dog.
It uses the bathroom inside too many times due to zero training, looses it’s cuteness and gets tied on a tangled leash, not neutered for the rest of its miserable existence. Meanwhile some get loose and puppies multiply and the cycle goes on and on until the next cull where the cycle starts a new.
It’s a pathetic crutch for parents most of the time and it’s sad. It teaches kids nothing and is horrible for the dog, a living thing that cares.
The dog issue is an ugly reflection of the of the other issues that exist in town. It’s truly disturbing.
Loose dogs are often a key indicator of socioeconomic issues.
That’s generalizing statement that we don’t take care of our dogs. My dog is an indoor dog, I run him twice a day, he is fed in fact a bit over weight despite two runs a day. I wish people would not generalize everything cause they seen couple instances.
I personally have not seen two foot chain on a dog, and our dog is part of the family not just a dog.
Generalizations can be (generally) true. Of course there are outliers. In my experience too many dogs “in Nunavut are chained to about two foot lengths.” I’m surprised you haven’t seen this, but I see it all the time.
Tundra Valley is really bad for loose dogs. There is a dog belonging to an Inuk Elder that is always loose and it is a really mean dog that has been witnessed to bite at least one person in the back of the leg. That dog is always loose and is on a part of the crescent where there are kids playing outdoors. Parents are anxious but feel obliged to cut the Elder some rope on this matter. Bylaw should intervene and put that dog down the next time it bites somebody, which is only a matter of time. Just one loose dog attracts others and they quickly become a pack. Not all dog owners pick up their dog’s poop you n their own yard let alone in other people’s surroundings which is an issue where kids play – it’s dangerous to the health of kids and adults alike. The bylaw should be clearly drawn up and then enforced: your dog is loose, the first time it’s a warning; after that it’s an escalating fine. Put your dog on a chain only you can loosen. Be a good neighbour to the kids in your neighbourhood.
Here Arviat there like 15 on the road other side of the road maybe 7 dogs loose worse in Arviat
Why doesn’t the City work with Nunavut Animal Rescue?
We literally have a volunteer group that could help, why isn’t the City utilizing this group?
Because there is the history of RCMP killing dog teams, as well as more recently southerners who come here, see a dog and take it assuming it is not a family pet.
Yes there are dogs that are not cared for properly, but there are also people that think they know what is best for a a family pet and just take it.
This is a problem in many communities! I have complained, called and went on air about loose dogs! Few weeks ago, a child was attacked! There are mixed breeds roaming around as if they owned the towns! They hear our concerns but they go right out the other ear! HELLO! what can we do? The municipalities aren’t doing a thing, so what can we do as citizens? HONESTLY, what can we do?
Local hamlets or Government will just wait for someone to to be killed before they take action .
The city wont do anything until this happens:
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/childs-death-in-dog-attack-leads-to-roundup-killing-of-strays-in-salluit/
> Morash estimated that Igloolik destroys 250 to 300 dogs per year.
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/mother-of-dog-attack-victim-recounts-traumatizing-day/
Some try but it appears to still not be enough. It’s a systemic problem in every community. Three hundred dead dogs a year for a community of 2,000.
Until an attack happens that awakens someone strong with courage and wisdom to lead a way out of harm, nothing changes. Death came the same in 2010’s and mauling too.
To By-law Officers who work in very difficult situations that challenge them when rescuing animals, or killing an animal for everyone’s protection, Nakurmiik.
Maybe the COI should take a look at Kugaaruk’s animal control methods. When I was there, I didn’t see a single loose dog at all. Didn’t even hear a dog bark in the 4 days that I was there.
If I have my grandchildren bitten,
Will press Charges and destroy the dog having the owner watch .
Take care of your damn Dog / Dogs.
You were there 4 days. wow you should write a book about your knowledge.
Someone get this person a pen.
Some people can’t look after themselves, so they definitely can’t look after a dog properly. It’s sad that the dogs will be the ones punished and be killed because some owners continually do not look after their dogs properly. 🙁
Existing Bylaws and running around same old speaker takes a head at this ,
Over and over dealing how to deal with as simple solution follow the by laws .
After they sort this out they should sort out the problem in town with the crack dealers
Contract it to a business the animal control is always a problem
The city never has enough workers
It been contracted out before so it again
The city tries to hard to give services where it can not do it
The city needs to start contracting some of it day to day operations as it has proven to be to much for the city to undertake
Contracted out in and up to late 1990’s … the “contractors” shot the dogs and dumped them into the dump. Don’t think that’s a road we want to travel down again.