The Thompson-Nicola Regional District board of directors has approved expansion of the Dangerous Dog Control Bylaw to include Electoral Areas “J” (Copper Desert Country) and “O” (Lower North Thompson).
The Dangerous Dog Control Bylaw is not breed-specific and does not discriminate against certain breeds.
The bylaw does not apply to unlicensed dogs, dogs at large, or aggressive dogs.
It is currently enforced in Electoral Areas “I” (Blue Sky Country), “M” (Beautiful Nicola Valley – North), “N” (Beautiful Nicola Valley – South), and “P” (Rivers and the Peaks).
According to the bylaw, a Dangerous Dog means any dog that:
(a) has killed or seriously injured a person,
(b) has killed or seriously injured a domestic animal in a public place or while on private property, other than property owned or occupied by the person responsible for the dog, or
(c) an Animal Control Officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to kill or seriously injure a person.
The Animal Control Service has been contracted out to K-9 Services, which will be responsible for enforcement of the bylaw in all six Electoral Areas that are participating in the service.
The bylaw is not being enforced in Area “A” (Wells Gray Country). District of Clearwater also does not have a dangerous dog bylaw.